Battle of South Guangxi
The Battle of South Guangxi (simplified Chinese: 桂南会战; traditional Chinese: 桂南會戰; pinyin: Guìnán Huìzhàn) was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Battle of South Guangxi | |||||||
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Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Republic of China | Empire of Japan | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Bai Chongxi Zhang Fakui |
Rikichi Andō Seiichi Kuno | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
150,000 (initially only 2 understrength army groups, reinforced by 2 army groups, including 200th Division (only mechanised force in NRA)) CAF<100[1] aircraft SVG<100[2] aircraft |
100,000 (5th Division, 18th Division (elements), Guards Mixed Brigade, Taiwan Mixed Brigade) 100 aircraft 2 aircraft carriers 70 warships | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
5,600 killed 45 billion yuan worth of private & public property damage |
4,000+ killed (including 85% of all officers) 4,000+ wounded 100 captured Total: 8,100+ casualties[3] | ||||||
11,147 civilians killed 2,161 civilians wounded 3,986 civilians missing Total: 17,294 civilians |
In November 1939, the Japanese landed on the coast of Guangxi and captured Nanning. In this battle, the Japanese successfully cut off Chongqing from the ocean, effectively severing foreign aid to China's war efforts by the sea, rendering Indochina, the Burma Road and The Hump the only ways to send aid to China.
The Chinese launched several major offensives that maximized Japanese casualties. A majority of the conflicts occurred in the fighting for Kunlun Pass. With the success of the Vietnam Expedition in September 1940, the Japanese were able to cut China off from Indochina. Now only the Burma Road and The Hump remained, ending the costly necessity of occupying Guangxi. By November 1940, Japanese forces had evacuated from Guangxi except from some coastal enclaves.
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. 311-318, Pg. 325-327,
- Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection, China 1:250,000, Series L500, U.S. Army Map Service, 1954- . Topographic Maps of China during the Second World War.
- These two maps cover the area where most of the fighting went on in the Guangxi campaign:
- Lai-Pin nf49-1, has the Kunlun Pass just above where the road from Nanning enters the map:
- Nanning nf49-5
References
- http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/sino-japanese-1939.htm
- http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/sino-japanese-1940.htm
- War Study: The Occupation of Nanning and the Failure of Kunlun http://warstudy.com/history/world_war/jp_china/408.xml
Bibliography
- Cheung, Raymond. OSPREY AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES 126: Aces of the Republic of China Air Force. Oxford: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2015. ISBN 978 14728 05614.
- 徐 (Xú), 露梅 (Lùméi). 隕落 (Fallen): 682位空军英烈的生死档案 - 抗战空军英烈档案大解密 (A Decryption of 682 Air Force Heroes of The War of Resistance-WWII and Their Martyrdom). 东城区, 北京, 中国: 团结出版社, 2016. ISBN 978-7-5126-4433-5.