Battle of Xinkou
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Battle of Xinkou | |||||||
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Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War | |||||||
Chinese troops marching to defend Xinkou mountain passes | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
| Japan | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Yan Xishan Yang Aiyuan Wei Lihuang Zhu De Fu Zuoyi Li Mo'an Hao Mengling † |
Itagaki Seishiro | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
280,000 in 52 divisions |
140,000 in 4 divisions 350+ artillery guns 150+ tanks 300 aircraft | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
100,000 dead, injured or missing |
20,000 killed Tens of thousands more wounded Dozens of tanks and 24+ planes |
The Battle of Xinkou (simplified Chinese: 忻口会战; traditional Chinese: 忻口會戰; pinyin: Xīnkǒu Huìzhàn) was a decisive engagement of the Taiyuan Campaign, the second of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Prelude
After battles at Nankou, the Chahar Expeditionary Force of the Japanese Kwantung Army occupied Datong in Shanxi province, and began their assault on the Yenbei area. The Japanese Fifth Division started their attack from Hebei marching westwards and taking the towns of Guanglin, Linzhou, Hongyuan in northwest Shanxi.
By late September, the Japanese commander
Even after the
Battle of Xinkou
On the same day, the military commission of the
The 6th Group Army organized into two divisions and one brigade, comprised the Chinese defense on the left flank along with the 120th division (commanded by Yang Aiyuan), which concentrated their forces at Heiyu and Yangfangkou, while one division was sent to the enemy's rear to harass their right flank. The 34th and 35th Armies were in reserve, commanded by Fu Zuoyi, to control the Dingxiang and Xinxian area.
On October 2, the 2nd brigade from the Chahar Expeditionary Force started their attack on Gouxian (now Gouyangxian), and the 19th Army's Chinese defenders held off the attack until October 9, by then the Gouxian had fallen into Japanese hands. The 15th brigade from the Chahar Expeditionary Force marched around Gouxian and attacked Yuanping, and engaged the 34th Army's 196 brigade, led by Jiang Yuzhen. After intense close-quarter combat, the defending Chinese soldiers were wiped out and the Japanese took Yuanping on October 12. By this time, the invading forces were ready to make their move on Xinkou.
Due to the unfavorable developments on the battlefields, Chinese commander
On October 13,
The Xinkou battles rages on for days, with the Nanhuahua position changing hands many times. On October 16 the Chinese central defense force begin a major counter-attack to take the high grounds at Nanhuahua, during this battle the commander of the 9th Army Hao Mengling became the first Chinese army general to be killed in action during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Despite his death, the 61st Army commander Chen Zhangjie and subsequently the 19th Army commander Wang Jingguo continued to lead the defense of Xinkou and successfully held their defensive positions.
During this time, the Communists’
By this time the Japanese had suffered close to 20,000 casualties without making much progress on their assault of Xinkou. Therefore, the
Defense of Niangziguan
The military commission of the
On October 11, the 20th division of the Japanese army captured Jingxing. The Japanese used only some troops to attack
On October 26, four Japanese
Conclusion
The battle of Xinkou marked the first large-scale cooperation between the provincial army (
After this battle and the subsequent battle around the city of Taiyuan, the Chinese effectively lost control of northern China and resistance was reduced to minor guerrilla attacks behind enemy lines. However, because the communists and nationalists co-operated well and the Japanese also took serious losses, many Chinese were inspired to join the fight against the Japanese invaders, especially when Jiang Yuzhen and other officers were martyred.
In conclusion, the Chinese forces ultimately lost the battle, paying the price of 100,000 troops dead, injured or missing, and were forced to retreat. However, they were able to kill some 20,000 Japanese troops, wound thousands more, and destroy dozens of tanks and more than 24 aircraft, setting a record high for the scale of damage inflicted to the Japanese in a single battle in Northern China.
References
Sources
- Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China. Pg. 195–200, Map 6
- 中国抗日战争正面战场作战记 China's Anti-Japanese War Combat Operations Author : Guo Rugui, editor-in-chief Huang Yuzhang Press : Jiangsu People's Publishing House Date published : 2005-7-1 ISBN 7-214-03034-9