The (Second) Battle of Changsha (6 September – 8 October 1941; ) was Japan's second attempt at taking the city of Changsha, China, the capital of Hunan Province, as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Background
Japanese preparation On December 2, 1940, the US congress passed a bill to provide a 100-million-dollar loan to China. On December 10, Britain also approved a 10-million-pound loan to China. Such a move was in response to the Japan's signing of the Tripartite Pact and moves to recognize Wang Jingwei's puppet government. In response, the Japanese army planned to resolve the 'China Incident' as soon as possible. On January 16, 1941, the Japanese army adopted the "Long-term Operational Guidance Plan for China", where they would not ease pressure but launched aggressive operations in the summer and autumn of 1941 while taking note of international situation and clearing occupied areas.
In April 1941, Lieutenant General Korechika Anami took over position as the commander of the 11th Army and began preparation for the Changsha operation. While they were working on plans for the offensive, Operation Barbarossa started on June 22, 1941, which disrupted the preparation of the operation as the China Expeditionary Army was considering redeploying units of the 11th Army in preparation for war with the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, Lieutenant General Anami approved the outline for the operational guidance of the Changsha Operation on June 24, planning to launch an offensive on September 15.
The objective of the operation was to "deal a major blow to the Ninth Military Front in order to thwart the enemy's plan for resistance." Japanese military leaders emphasized at every opportunity that the objective was not to "occupy the area" or "obtain supplies". The Japanese army judged that the enemy facing them totaled fifteen divisions from the 4th, 37th, 99th, 74th, and 26th Corps. Assuming that two infantry battalions were enough to fight against one enemy division but to prepare for a possible increase in enemy numbers, the Japanese army put forty-one infantry battalions in four divisions and three task forces and twenty-nine artillery battalions into the operation.
Chinese preparation The Chinese army was well aware of the Kwantung Army's build-up in Northeast China in case of a war with the Soviet Union after the German invasion. They detected General Anami gathering four divisions totalling 120,000 troops for an invasion in Hunan. Since the battle of Shanggao in March 1941, the Ninth Military Front had ordered its troops to cooperate with the guerillas in the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border region to harass the enemy and prepare for an offensive. Thirty-five divisions in thirteen armies in three army groups totalling 378,307 troops were gathered in Hunan, with the headquarters of the Ninth Military Front centered in Changsha. In August 1941, the Ninth Military Front judged that the enemy planned to capture Changsha and obtain supplies. The Chinese army planned to lure the Japanese army to the south of Miluo river and annihilate them there.
Changsha battlefield
Fighting Around the Dayun Mountain On September 7, the Japanese 6th Division launched a mopping-up operation at Dayun Mountain (大雲山) with air support from the east, west, and north. The Yanling (雁嶺) and Jianshan (尖山) positions fell on the same day and the defending 177th Regiment of the 59th Division and 306th Regiment of the 102nd Division of the 4th Corps and the 1st Battalion of the 33rd Regiment of the New 11th Division of the 58th Corps of the 27th Army Group were trapped in a desperate battle. On the same day, Yang Sen, commander of the 27th Army Group, ordered the New 10th Division and New 11th division of the 58th Corps to assist the Dayun Mountain defenders. On the 8th, the two divisions advanced towards Dayun Mountain followed by the 60th Division of the 37th Corps. For the next two days, the two sides fought fiercely for the mountain. On the 10th of September, the Shigematsu task force of the 40th Division arrived to replace the 6th Division at Dayun Mountain. The 6th Division mistakenly reported that the Dayun Mountain had been cleared off enemy troops to the task force. Thus, the task force was unprepared for the assault by the 59th, 60th, and New 10th Divisions. The task force struggled under the counterattack of the three divisions, and the Chinese army recaptured the peak of Dayun Mountain. At the same time, a portion of the 4th Corps also skirmished with the Japanese 3rd and 6th Divisions. After hearing about the unexpected battle encountered by the 40th Division, the 11th Army's headquarters ordered the Araki task force of the 33rd Division to reinforce the division while the army prepared for an offensive on September 18. On the way, the Araki task force encountered fierce resistance from the New 11th Division but was able to reach its position on the 18th. The 40th Division was also preparing for an offensive on the 18th. From September 14 until September 17, the division continued fighting fiercely against the Chinese New 10th Division, but after a week of fighting the engaged units of the Japanese division had suffered losses exceeding half. Seeing the build-up of the Japanese army north of Xinqiang River (新牆河), the Ninth Military Front ordered the 27th Army Group to withdraw from Dayun Mountain, which they gradually did on September 17 and 18. The Chinese army suffered more than 3,000 casualties in the battle.
All-out Offensive On September 18, the Japanese army launched their offensive. The 6th Division forced a crossing at the Xinqiang River, breaking through the position of the 4th Corps at the south bank of the river and causing the corps to retreat to the mountains east of Guanwang Bridge (關王橋). Soon, the whole 11th Army was crossing the river. After hearing about the news, Yang Sen ordered the 133rd and 134th Divisions of the 20th Corps and the 58th Corps to block the enemy near Yanglin street (楊林街). On September 19, in the area east of the south bank of the Xinqiang river, the 40th Division encountered fierce resistance from the 59th and 90th Divisions of the 4th Corps and fought all day long with heavy losses on both sides.
On September 19, the 3rd, 4th, and 6th Divisions arrived at the north bank of the Miluo River. The 95th and 140th Divisions of the 37th Corps and the 92nd and 99th Divisions of the 99th Corps had been ordered to the south bank of the Miluo River on the 18th but before they had finished their deployment, the three Japanese divisions were already crossing the river and attacking the two corps. From 19 until 24 September, the two sides fought fiercely at the south bank and the Chinese positions were breached one after another. By the 25th, the two corps had to retreat. At the same time, the Japanese 6th division moved eastward along the Miluo River and clashed with the 44th Division of the 26th Corps. The corps immediately sent the 32nd and 41st Divisions to assist, but the 32nd Division was intercepted by the Japanese 3rd Division and retreated southward. The 6th Division quickly broke through the right and left flank of the 26th Corps and encircled the unit on the 23rd of September. On the 25th, the corps was ordered to break out and the remnants retreated to Genggutai (更鼓台) and Shiwan (石灣).
On 22 September, the 3rd Division, 190th Division, and 10th Reserve Division of the 10th Corps were ordered to occupy the Jinjing (金井)-Suqiao (粟橋) line. On the 24th, the corps was besieged by the Japanese 3rd, 4th, and 6th Divisions and the Hayabuchi task force. The 568th Regiment and the headquarters of the 190th Division trying to move southward were surrounded by the Japanese 3rd Division. During the break-out attempt, divisional commander Zhu Yue (朱岳) was wounded, deputy divisional commander Lai Chuanxiang (賴傳湘) was killed, and the division suffered heavy casualties. By the 26th, all defensive positions of the 10th Corps had been breached. Jinjing and Suqiao fell, and the 10th Corps suffered heavy casualties in the retreat. The remnants moved to the Langli City (榔梨市) south of Laodao River (撈刀河) for reorganization. By this point, Xue Yue's plan to destroy the Japanese army at the south bank of the Miluo River had failed.
Battle of Laodao River Throughout the campaign, the 11th Army's headquarters had paid close attention to the movement of Wang Yaowu's 74th Corps. Unbeknownst to the Nationalists, the Japanese army had been able to intercept the telegraphs of the Chinese army. On the 21st of September, the headquarters were shocked to hear that the 74th Corps had begun moving to the battlefield. Since the Jiangxi-Hunan operation (known in China as the First Battle of Changsha), the 74th Corps had fought in several battles against the 11th Army, including the 1939-1940 Winter Offensive and the Battle of Shanggao, and was regarded by the 11th Army as an elite assault corps directly under the Nationalist Government. The appearance of the 74th Corps affected the operational plans of the Japanese army in Changsha, and the 6th Division was ordered to block the corps at the Laodao River and prevent it from reaching Changsha. On September 24, General Anami held a combat meeting, one of the main points being how to deal with the 74th Corps. General Anami hoped that they would be able to deal a heavy blow to the 74th Corps but eventually decided to focus on the original objective, having the 3rd and 4th Divisions continue their advance towards Changsha while the 6th Division was tasked with defeating the 74th Corps. On the 25th, the 11th Army headquarters received an intercepted telegraph from Xue Yue about the plan for a decisive battle north of Laodao River.
On the early morning of September 26, Hanaya's 29th Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Division sent the 3rd Battalion of the 18th Infantry Regiment forward to secure a crossing point for the Liuyang River (瀏陽河) near Jintan (金潭). To get there, the battalion would have to pass through the Chunhua Mountain (春華山) on the north bank of the Laodao River. At 8 a.m., the 10th Company of the 3rd Battalion was approaching the vicinity of Chunhua Mountain when it suddenly took fire. Because the area was covered by a small pine forest and the visibility was unclear, the company did not know where the bullets came from. Battalion commander Ikede, who judged the enemy were defeated stragglers, ordered the company to attack. As a result, the company continued fighting until the afternoon before they could make progress, and the battalion eventually had to cross the Laodao River after dark.
The enemy facing them were units of the 74th Corps. The 3rd Division had no prior knowledge of who they were fighting against at the time. While the 11th Army had been aware of the movement of the 74th Corps since September 21, the army did not know where the corps was heading. As the Chinese army was accustomed to rapid marches at night to avoid Japanese aircraft, the 74th Corps moved faster than the 11th Army had believed. On the afternoon of September 25, the 169th and 170th Regiments of the 57th Division were ordered to move northward through Huanghua City (黃花市) to seize the front-line positions of Chunhua Mountain at the north bank of Laodao River. At dawn of September 26, the 169th Regiment of the 57th Division encountered the vanguard of the Japanese army. At the same time, a portion of the 58th division also rushed to the eastern side of the mountain and the two units worked together to drive out the Japanese vanguard and seized key positions near Chunhua Mountain. By morning, most of the 57th and 58th Divisions had crossed the Laodao River. The 58th Division was ordered to take over the defense line of the 57th Division from the eastern side of Chunhua Mountain to Yong'an city (永安市).