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Battle of Xuzhou
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Battle of Xuzhou
The Battle of Xuzhou was a military campaign between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China forces in early 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It lasted for more than three months, with both sides taking heavy casualties and claiming victories. It resulted in an eventual victory for the Japanese, but they failed to destroy the Chinese army, who managed to retreat and regroup to fight later at Wuhan.
The battle of Xuzhou was primarily fought over control over the regional railway lines and junctions. The majority of the campaign took place in regions and cities north, east and south of Xuzhou, and was characterized by seesaw battles and bloody stalemates. It ended when the Japanese initiated a massive pincer movement aimed at encircling the Chinese forces. However, the Chinese managed to evade the Japanese maneuvers and break out of the encirclement, regrouping later to fight at Wuhan.
The campaign also saw the first major Chinese victory of the war at Taierzhuang, where warlord armies under the command of Li Zongren and Tang Enbo managed to defeat Japanese forces in fierce close quarters urban warfare. The campaign also served as a morale boost for the Chinese army and population, who approached the following defense of Wuhan with renewed confidence and determination.
The end of the campaign saw the Chinese breach the dikes on the Yellow River, flooding a large amount of land to prevent the Japanese from advancing, resulting in massive casualties and property damage.
In 1937 the Japanese North China Area Army had chased Song Zheyuan's 29th Army to the south along the Jinpu Railway (see Tianjin–Pukou Railway Operation) after his defeat in the Battle of Lugou Bridge.
Following the Japanese victory in the Battle of Nanjing, the North China Area Army aimed to advance southward and establish a connection with the Eleventh Army between Beijing and Nanjing. The two armies were to march along the northern and southern ends of the JinPu railway, meet up in Xuzhou, and from there coordinate a pincer movement into the Chinese strongholds in the Central Yangtze valley, taking Jiujiang first and then Wuhan.
The Chinese leadership recognized the strategic importance of defending Xuzhou, as it was both the midpoint of the JinPu line and the intersection with the Longhai line (China's main cross-country rail that ran from Lanzhou to Lianyungang), which if seized, would give the Japanese mobility over north–south travel in central China. In the end of January, Chiang summoned a military conference in Wuchang in which he declared the defense of Xuzhou to be the top strategic priority. Chinese preparations saw an initial core of 80,000 troops swell to 300,000, who were positioned along the JinPu and Longhai rail lines to draw in and overextend the Japanese attacks. This was in line with Baoding military academic Jiang Baili's grand strategy of "protracted warfare," where China was to wear down Japan over the long term. Many of Jiang's students were commanders of the Chinese defense, including Chen Cheng, Bai Chongxi, Tang Shengzhi, and Xue Yue.
Most mechanized and air forces in eastern China were wiped out in the Battle of Shanghai, which concluded in late November 1937. Although new equipment was purchased, it had yet to be shipped. Han Fuqu, the chairman of the Shandong province, rejected orders from Chiang Kai-shek and kept retreating to preserve his force. After Qingdao was occupied in January 1938, Han's policy was denounced and he was executed on 24 January. In March 1938 Japanese forces occupied the north of Shandong, including the capital city Jinan. The defense line along the Yellow River was torn apart. Due to pressure from Japanese forces, 64 Chinese divisions gathered around Xuzhou in Jiangsu, the headquarters of 5th Military Region of the National Revolutionary Army.
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Battle of Xuzhou
The Battle of Xuzhou was a military campaign between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China forces in early 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It lasted for more than three months, with both sides taking heavy casualties and claiming victories. It resulted in an eventual victory for the Japanese, but they failed to destroy the Chinese army, who managed to retreat and regroup to fight later at Wuhan.
The battle of Xuzhou was primarily fought over control over the regional railway lines and junctions. The majority of the campaign took place in regions and cities north, east and south of Xuzhou, and was characterized by seesaw battles and bloody stalemates. It ended when the Japanese initiated a massive pincer movement aimed at encircling the Chinese forces. However, the Chinese managed to evade the Japanese maneuvers and break out of the encirclement, regrouping later to fight at Wuhan.
The campaign also saw the first major Chinese victory of the war at Taierzhuang, where warlord armies under the command of Li Zongren and Tang Enbo managed to defeat Japanese forces in fierce close quarters urban warfare. The campaign also served as a morale boost for the Chinese army and population, who approached the following defense of Wuhan with renewed confidence and determination.
The end of the campaign saw the Chinese breach the dikes on the Yellow River, flooding a large amount of land to prevent the Japanese from advancing, resulting in massive casualties and property damage.
In 1937 the Japanese North China Area Army had chased Song Zheyuan's 29th Army to the south along the Jinpu Railway (see Tianjin–Pukou Railway Operation) after his defeat in the Battle of Lugou Bridge.
Following the Japanese victory in the Battle of Nanjing, the North China Area Army aimed to advance southward and establish a connection with the Eleventh Army between Beijing and Nanjing. The two armies were to march along the northern and southern ends of the JinPu railway, meet up in Xuzhou, and from there coordinate a pincer movement into the Chinese strongholds in the Central Yangtze valley, taking Jiujiang first and then Wuhan.
The Chinese leadership recognized the strategic importance of defending Xuzhou, as it was both the midpoint of the JinPu line and the intersection with the Longhai line (China's main cross-country rail that ran from Lanzhou to Lianyungang), which if seized, would give the Japanese mobility over north–south travel in central China. In the end of January, Chiang summoned a military conference in Wuchang in which he declared the defense of Xuzhou to be the top strategic priority. Chinese preparations saw an initial core of 80,000 troops swell to 300,000, who were positioned along the JinPu and Longhai rail lines to draw in and overextend the Japanese attacks. This was in line with Baoding military academic Jiang Baili's grand strategy of "protracted warfare," where China was to wear down Japan over the long term. Many of Jiang's students were commanders of the Chinese defense, including Chen Cheng, Bai Chongxi, Tang Shengzhi, and Xue Yue.
Most mechanized and air forces in eastern China were wiped out in the Battle of Shanghai, which concluded in late November 1937. Although new equipment was purchased, it had yet to be shipped. Han Fuqu, the chairman of the Shandong province, rejected orders from Chiang Kai-shek and kept retreating to preserve his force. After Qingdao was occupied in January 1938, Han's policy was denounced and he was executed on 24 January. In March 1938 Japanese forces occupied the north of Shandong, including the capital city Jinan. The defense line along the Yellow River was torn apart. Due to pressure from Japanese forces, 64 Chinese divisions gathered around Xuzhou in Jiangsu, the headquarters of 5th Military Region of the National Revolutionary Army.
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