What is the background and significance of the Battle of Wuhan?

What is the background and significance of the Battle of Wuhan?

1. The background of the Wuhan Battle

1. The National Political Participation Conference was held. In mid-June of the 27th year of the Republic of China, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government formulated a battle plan to defend Wuhan and also stipulated strategic guidelines. The central idea was to base on the outer line, maintain a high degree of mobility of the troops, and use terrain and fortifications to resist and consume the Japanese army one by one. , exchanging space for time, and finally changing the war situation in which the enemy attacks and we defend.

On July 6, the first session of the National Political Participation Conference was held in Wuhan. The congress solemnly declared: "The Chinese nation must mobilize all its material and human resources with a strong and unyielding will. For self-defense and humanity, this vicious invader will resist the war for a long time.

2. The strategic intentions of the Japanese army. 1937 After some institutions of the National Government were moved from Nanjing to Wuhan in November, the place actually became the military, political, and economic center of China, and its strategic position was very important.

After the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, the Army Department began to establish the headquarters. The battle to capture Hankou was studied, but due to various conditions, it was temporarily shelved.

In early April 1938, when the Japanese base camp decided to carry out the Xuzhou Battle, it also decided to carry out the Wuhan Battle. When formulating the Xuzhou Battle plan, That is, “anticipate the situation after the battle and take into account the future Wuhan operation. "On June 15, the Japanese Imperial Council formally decided to implement the operation to capture Wuhan.

2. The significance of the Battle of Wuhan

The greatest significance of the Battle of Wuhan is to force the Japanese army to stop its strategic offensive. Before Japan captured Wuhan, it attempted to destroy China's resistance in one fell swoop through a powerful military offensive. After 15 months of vigorous resistance by the Chinese military and civilians, Japan suffered nearly 450,000 casualties and spent nearly 10 billion on military expenditures. The Japanese yen, manpower, material resources and financial resources have reached an unprecedented level.

The Battle of Wuhan not only caused another strategic defeat for the Japanese army, but also became a turning point for Japan from strategic offensive to strategic conservatism. , China's Anti-Japanese War entered a stage of strategic stalemate.

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Battle results:

On the north bank of the Yangtze River, the Japanese army "battled" in the attack and defense of Tianjia Town Fortress. 287 people were killed and 866 wounded, a total of 1,150 people, and the number is expected to increase." On the south bank of the Yangtze River, at the Ma Tou Town Fortress in Jiangxi Province, the Chinese defenders fought fiercely with the enemy for eight days and nights, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.

They fought bloody battles with the Japanese troops at Fuchikou Fortress for nearly 10 days, repelling Japanese attacks many times. In the end, the shameless Japanese invaders actually used poison gas on the national troops to occupy the Dabie Mountain area. They tenaciously blocked the Japanese army, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, and wiped out more than 1,000 enemy soldiers, reducing the average number of Japanese soldiers to 40 in each company, and many officers at the battalion commander level also suffered casualties.

During the Battle of Wuhan, the Chinese Air Force and Navy suffered many casualties. He also actively participated in the battle. With the cooperation of the Soviet Aviation Volunteer Group, the Chinese Air Force fought fiercely in the sky and fought 7 aerial battles with the Japanese Air Force, destroying 78 Japanese aircraft and sinking 23 Japanese ships, which effectively supported the operations of the ground forces.

The Chinese Navy also engaged in fierce battles on the Yangtze River. It deployed mines and coastal artillery in fortresses along the river, and sank many Japanese ships. This effectively delayed the Japanese attack along the river and achieved strategic success. .

Due to the tenacious and continuous blockade by the National Army, the Japanese troops from all directions did not complete the three-sided siege of Wuhan from the east, south and north until the end of October, after paying a heavy price. From the strategic perspective of a protracted war of resistance, we did not engage in a decisive battle with the enemy, but retreated from the Wuhan area to preserve our effective strength.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Battle of Wuhan

The national army was there. How many soldiers were killed in the Battle of Wuhan, and how many troops did the Chinese army invest in defending Wuhan?

To defend Wuhan, the Nationalist Government re-divided the theater and formulated strategic defense deployments, concentrating 1.1 million people and 300,000 Japanese troops A large-scale melee was launched, and a series of heroic defensive operations were launched with the Japanese army from June to the end of October, causing the enemy to pay a heavy price during the advance. On the north bank of the Yangtze River, the Japanese army "killed 287 people and injured 866 people in the attack and defense of Tianjia Town Fortress." The total number of people is 1,150, and it is expected to increase." On the south bank of the Yangtze River, at the Matou Town Fortress in Jiangxi, the Chinese defenders fought fiercely with the enemy for eight days and nights, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.

With the Japanese troops at Fuchikou Fortress After nearly 10 days of bloody fighting, the Japanese attacks were repelled many times. In the end, the shameless Japanese invaders actually used poison gas on the Chinese army to occupy it.

In the north and south of Lushan Mountain, the Chinese army engaged in fierce battles with the enemy and won a great victory at Wanjialing. They killed 3,000 enemies, wounded more enemies, captured more than 30 people, and seized more than 50 light and heavy machine guns, more than 1,000 rifles, and more than 100 military horses. In the Dabie Mountain area, the Chinese army tenaciously blocked the Japanese army in the Fujinshan highlands, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy and wiping out more than 1,000 enemy soldiers, reducing the average number of Japanese soldiers to 40 in each company. Many officers at the battalion commander level also suffered casualties. At the same time, the Chinese army took advantage of the steep terrain of the Dabie Mountains to cleverly block the Japanese army. They fought fiercely for more than a month, causing the Japanese army to pay the price of 1,000 killed and about 3,400 wounded before they were able to break through. In Xinyang, Henan, the Chinese army continued to block the Japanese army and wiped out 2,600 enemies.

During the Wuhan Defense War, the Chinese Air Force, in cooperation with the Soviet Volunteer Air Force, fought fiercely with the enemy and achieved significant results. The Chinese Air Force shot down 62 Japanese aircraft, destroyed 16 Japanese aircraft, and sank the Japanese army. There are 23 ships, which effectively support the ground troops in operations. The Chinese Navy also engaged in fierce battles on the Yangtze River, deploying mines and coastal artillery at fortresses along the river, and sank many Japanese ships, effectively delaying Japanese attacks along the river.

Due to the tenacious and continuous resistance of the Chinese army, the Japanese troops from all walks of life only completed the three-sided encirclement of Wuhan from the east, south and north until the end of October after paying a heavy price. Chinese troops withdraw from the Wuhan area.

The battle to defend Wuhan lasted four and a half months from the Japanese occupation of Anqing to the fall of Wuhan, with nearly 40,000 enemies killed and wounded. The Kuomintang also paid a price of more than 200,000 casualties. This battle successfully consumed the effective strength of the Japanese army, shattered Japan's plan to force China to surrender and end the war as soon as possible, and became an important turning point in China's Anti-Japanese War. Marked by the end of the Wuhan Battle, China's War of Resistance Against Japan began to enter a stage of strategic stalemate.

The Battle of Wuhan was the largest decisive battle between China and Japan. Although the Chinese army concentrated more troops and demonstrated strong combat determination, its purely defensive combat thinking and individualism were fully exposed. During the Wuhan War, the Kuomintang did not actively cooperate in other battlefields, allowing the Japanese army to concentrate its forces on a decisive battle with the Kuomintang army in Wuhan. The Japanese army also took the opportunity to occupy Guangzhou, completing the maritime encirclement of China and cutting off China from obtaining supplies and materials from overseas. With the passage of weapons, the situation of the Anti-Japanese War further deteriorated. But at the same time, Japan's fatal weakness of insufficient military strength has been fully exposed. After the Wuhan battle, the Japanese army has been unable to organize a large-scale attack. China and Japan have entered a stalemate stage of greater endurance.

How did the Battle of Wuhan develop?

In December 1937, Japan dispatched a large number of aircraft to bomb and sink the American warship "Panay" and the British ship "Ladybird" in the Pacific Ocean. On March 11 of the following year, Hitler issued an ultimatum to the Austrian government and forced Austrian Prime Minister Schuschnigg to resign; in the early morning of March 16, 1939, the German army invaded the entire territory of Czechoslovakia and occupied the capital Prague.

Wuhan is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, with convenient transportation, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is an important strategic location in Central China. After the fall of Nanjing, although the Nationalist Government moved its capital to Chongqing, many of its important institutions were located in Wuhan. Therefore, Wuhan became the de facto political, economic, and military center of China. In order to force the Chinese government to surrender as soon as possible, Japan targeted Wuhan as its next attack target after occupying Xuzhou on May 19, 1938.

On May 19, 1938, the Japanese army marched west along Longhai Road, preparing to capture Zhengzhou, and then south along Pinghan Road to capture Wuhan. In order to prevent the Japanese army from attacking, the Kuomintang broke the embankment at Huayuankou in Zhengzhou, and the Japanese army was forced to change its attack route. The main force will advance west along both sides of the Yangtze River and attack Wuhan from the south. The other force will advance west along the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains and attack Wuhan from the north.

On June 7, a section of the Japanese army, under the cover of warships, marched westward from Zhenjiang along the south bank of the Yangtze River. On the 12th, the Japanese army captured Anqing, kicking off the Battle of Wuhan. After the Japanese army occupied Anqing, they continued to advance westward. On the 25th, the Japanese troops who broke through the outskirts of Madang and the Chinese defenders guarding the Madang Fortress launched a fierce battle, causing heavy casualties on both sides. On the 29th, the Japanese army bypassed Madang and captured Pengze. Madang was attacked from both sides and fell on the same day. Then, the Japanese troops landed near Hukou on July 3. The Chinese defenders rose up to block the attack, and the two sides started a fierce battle. On July 5, the Japanese army broke through the Kuomintang army's defense line and occupied the Hukou Fort. At the same time, the Japanese troops marching along the north bank of the Yangtze River also moved south from Hefei, Anhui, captured Qianshan on the 18th, and attacked towards Taihu Lake. At this point, the Chinese and Japanese armies faced off at Taihu Lake, Hukou, and Poyang Lake.

In mid-July, the Japanese army increased its strength, adjusted its deployment, and prepared to continue its westward march. On the 23rd, under the cover of warships and aircraft, the Japanese troops crossed Poyang Lake and landed near Gutang, east of Jiujiang. On the 24th, another Japanese army also landed at another location east of Jiujiang. On the evening of the 24th, two Japanese armies launched a fierce attack on Jiujiang. The Chinese defenders fought hard, but the perimeter was quickly breached. On the 26th, the Chinese army abandoned Jiujiang and retreated to Ruichang. After the Japanese army occupied Jiujiang, they divided their troops into two groups to attack Ruichang and Nanchang respectively. However, in the subsequent march, they were stubbornly blocked by the Kuomintang troops and progress was slow. After the Japanese army increased its strength, in mid-August, under the cover of aircraft and artillery, the troops divided into three groups and launched a fierce attack on Ruichang. Although the Chinese defenders fought bravely, they suffered heavy losses due to fierce bombardment and poison gas by the Japanese army. Ruichang fell on the 24th. After the Japanese army occupied Ruijing, they split into two groups, with the main force continuing to advance along Jiangxi.

At the same time, the Japanese troops on the north bank of the Yangtze River also broke through the stubborn resistance of the Chinese army and occupied the Taihu area in late July and Huangmei in early August. However, in the subsequent attack, they were stubbornly blocked by the Chinese defenders, and the two sides formed a fierce tug-of-war. However, under the cover of fierce artillery fire and aircraft, the Japanese army occupied Wuxue on September 16 and launched a fierce attack on Tianjia Town. The Chinese defenders fought hard, but Tianjia Town still fell on September 29. On October 19, the Japanese army marched towards Wuhan after occupying Xi.

In late August, another Japanese army also set out from Hefei. The troops were divided into two routes. The left route marched west along the northern foot of Dabie Mountain and passed through the Shangcheng City directly into Wuhan. The right route marched west along the south bank of the Huaihe River to capture Xinyang. After that, he went back to Wuhan. The Japanese troops on the left route were stubbornly blocked by the Chinese defenders and suffered heavy casualties. They only occupied the mall on September 16. The Chinese defenders retreated to the passes of the Dabie Mountains, blocking the Japanese troops at all levels and engaging in fierce battles with the Japanese troops. The Japanese troops on the right were also stubbornly blocked by the Chinese defenders. On October 12, they captured Xinyang, cut off the Pinghan-Han railway line, and moved south to threaten Wuhan. In addition, Guangzhou in the south also fell on October 23. At this point, Wuhan was completely surrounded by the Japanese army. Under this situation, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the abandonment of Wuhan on October 24, and the Kuomintang troops retreated across the board. On the 27th, the Japanese army occupied the entire Wuhan. At this point, the Battle of Wuhan ended.

The Battle of Wuhan lasted for more than four months, and both sides invested unprecedented amounts of troops. Although the battle ended with the defeat of the Chinese army, it also greatly consumed the effective strength of the Japanese army and hindered the Japanese army's strategic offensive, thus turning China's Anti-Japanese War into a strategic stalemate stage.

Introduction to the Battle of Wuhan

The Battle of Wuhan was a battle fought between the Chinese army and the Japanese invaders in the Wuhan area during the Anti-Japanese War. From June to October of the 27th year of the Republic of China, China's 5th and 9th Theater Troops deployed outside Wuhan along the north and south banks of the Yangtze River. The battlefield covered the vast areas of Anhui, Henan, Jiangxi, and Hubei provinces. It was the largest strategic defense stage of the Anti-Japanese War. The largest, longest and most annihilated battle.

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Details of the Battle of Wuhan

Wuhan is located in the Jianghan Plain and is the intersection of the Ping-Han and Guangdong-Han railways. After some institutions of the Nationalist Government moved from Nanjing to Wuhan in November 1937, the place actually became the military, political, and economic center of China, with a very important strategic position.

Wuhan is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It was the second largest city in China at that time, with a population of more than 2 million. The city is divided into three parts by the Yangtze River and Hanshui River: Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang. Wuchang is the political center and Hankou is A center of commerce, Hanyang is an important industrial town. After the completion of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway, it became an important transportation center in inland China. It was also a hub for transporting foreign aid from southern ports to the inland.

After the Japanese army invaded Nanjing, although the Nationalist Government moved westward to Chongqing, most of the government agencies and military headquarters were in Wuhan. Wuhan actually became the country's military, political, and economic center and wartime capital at that time. China's military power was concentrated on defending Wuhan. The Japanese government and the Chinese Expeditionary Force headquarters both expected that the fall of Wuhan would cause China to cease its resistance.

In order to enhance the command structure and combat capabilities, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government decided to adjust the combat sequence and established a new 9th Theater in mid-June 1938. At the same time, it was decided to defend Wuhan with troops from the 5th and 9th theaters. The troops participating in the Wuhan Defense War, as well as the Air Force and Navy, totaled 14 group armies and 50 corps, about 200 combat aircraft, more than 30 ships, and a total strength of nearly 1.1 million people.

Since June, troops of various corps have begun to use natural barriers such as Poyang Lake and the Dabie Mountains to step up the construction of fortifications and prepare for defense. In order to carry out the Wuhan operation, the Japanese base camp concentrated the strength of 14 divisions in central China. Directly participating in the Wuhan battle were the 2nd Army and the 11th Army's 9 divisions, about 250,000 people, as well as the Navy's 3rd Fleet, the Aviation Corps, etc., with about 120 ships of various types, each There are about 300 type aircraft.

The main force of the Japanese 11th Army attacked along the south bank of the Yangtze River. The Botian detachment landed in the northeast of Ruichang and was blocked by the defending 3rd Army. On the 20th, the Japanese 9th Division went into battle and cooperated with the Botian detachment to attack Ruichang. The defenders were unable to fight, and Ruichang fell on the 24th. The Japanese army successively occupied the dock and Fuchikou. As the defenders deployed four additional corps to strengthen defense, the two sides formed a confrontation in the Daye and Yangxin areas.

After more than a month of offensive, the Japanese 27th Division occupied Ruoxi and invaded Xianning. The 101st Division crossed Poyang Lake and attacked the 1st Corps in the De'an area. The two sides reached a stalemate. In early October, the 1st Corps deployed three armies to launch a counterattack in Wanjialing, northwest of De'an, annihilating about four Japanese regiments in one fell swoop. The 6th Division of the Japanese 11th Group Army attacked along the north bank of the Yangtze River, captured Huangmei, and continued westward.

In mid-September, after the Japanese army occupied Guangji and Wuxue, they besieged the Tianjia Town Fortress. One corps of the 4th Corps defended the fortress, and three corps supported the battle on the periphery. They fought hard for more than ten years and suffered heavy casualties. The fortress fell on the 29th. The Japanese army captured Xishui and approached Wuhan. The Japanese 2nd Army attacked along the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains. It set out from Hefei in late August, occupied Lu'an and Huoshan respectively, and then attacked in the direction of Gushi and Yejiaji.

After the mall fell, the defenders retreated to key passes in the Dabie Mountains, and the two sides fought fiercely for more than a month. After the Japanese 10th Division captured Gushi, it was stubbornly resisted by the 59th Army in the Chunheji and Huangchuan areas, and was blocked by the 1st Army in the area east of Xinyang. Later, it was reinforced by the 3rd Division and occupied Xinyang along the Ping-Han Railway. Go south and coordinate with the 11th Army to attack Wuhan.

The Japanese Botian detachment occupied Gedian and prepared to attack Wuchang. The Japanese 9th Division captured Hesheng Bridge and cut off the Guangdong-Han Line. The Japanese 27th Division cooperated with the 9th Division to advance towards the Guangdong-Han line and occupied Taolin Town on the 27th. By now, Wuhan had been surrounded by Japanese troops from the east, south and north. In order to preserve military strength and facilitate the long-term war of resistance, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government ordered the abandonment of Wuhan on October 24 and the withdrawal of troops from the Wuhan area.

The Japanese 6th Division occupied Hankou on the 26th. The Botian detachment occupied Wuchang on the same day. On the 27th, one section each of the Japanese 116th Division and the 6th Division occupied Hanyang. At this point, the Japanese army captured three towns in Wuhan, and the Wuhan Defense War came to an end. The battle to defend Wuhan lasted four and a half months from the time the Japanese troops captured Anqing to the fall of Wuhan, with nearly 40,000 enemies killed and wounded.

This battle is of great significance. It greatly consumed the effective strength of the Japanese army, shattered Japan's plan to force China to surrender and end the war as soon as possible, and became an important turning point in China's War of Resistance Against Japan. Marked by the end of the Wuhan Battle, China's War of Resistance Against Japan began to enter a stage of strategic stalemate.

Reference materials:

Baidu Encyclopedia? Battle of Wuhan

How many Japanese soldiers died in the Battle of Wuhan?

Japan suffered 257,000 casualties.

From June to October of the 27th year of the Republic of China, China’s 5th and 9th Theater Troops deployed outside Wuhan along the north and south banks of the Yangtze River. The battlefields covered vast areas in the four provinces of Anhui, Henan, Jiangxi, and Hubei. It was the largest, longest and most annihilated battle in the strategic defense phase of the Anti-Japanese War.

In this battle, the Chinese army fought bloody battles, hundreds of large and small battles, at the cost of more than 400,000 casualties, and killed and injured more than 257,000 Japanese troops, which greatly consumed the Japanese army’s effective strength. Although the Japanese army captured Wuhan, Its strategic intention of ending the war with a quick victory and forcing the Nationalist government to surrender was not achieved. Since then, China's War of Resistance Against Japan has entered a stage of strategic stalemate.

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Notes:

War evaluation

During the Battle of Wuhan, the majority of Chinese officers and soldiers were generally brave and tenacious. Kill and injure the Japanese army and inflict a major blow to the Japanese army. However, due to improper operational guidance by the top decision-makers and some senior generals, they consumed themselves too much while consuming the enemy. The main reason was that in the battle, they simply defended their positions and competed with the Japanese army for attrition.

China has a vast territory, and the Japanese army can avoid our position facilities, and the Japanese army’s usual tactics are roundabout encirclement. Even from the perspective of position defense, there are deficiencies and mistakes in combat guidance: the troops are scattered; Conduct defensive battles with continuous front-line positions, and use troops one after another, lacking a strong strategic reserve corps;

During battles, they are often in a passive position, following the enemy's actions everywhere, and many measures are similar "Picking flesh to mend sores"; in the command system, it is greatly affected by personnel relations. Many troop deployments are not based on combat needs, but appoint officials based on factions and seniority. The positions are not suitable for the troops they belong to, resulting in "buildings under the roof". , the shortcoming of "stacked beds";

The transmission of orders and reports, from the military committee to the division of the basic strategic unit, has to go through five levels: theater, corps, group army, corps, and corps, which will inevitably cause delays fighter plane.

Baidu Encyclopedia—Battle of Wuhan