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Chinese Armies In The Second Sino-japanese War




The Chinese Army fighting against Japanese forces, and their allies, during the ''' Second Sino-Japanese War ''', did so under handicaps both of material weakness, in terms of military technology, and political division between the Kuomintang and Chinese communist forces, with their difficulties only papered over.


DEGREE OF SUCCESS


Early actions of the war


Nevertheless, in their first tentative attacks in Shandong , Hebei and Shanghai , Japanese forces suffered heavy losses, and were repelled by Chinese defensive actions. During the Second Battle Of Shanghai , Japanese forces were nearly defeated by superior Chinese forces and strategy, but were reinforced.

The determined defence of Nanjing showed Chinese infantry
forces with very little equipment destroying the notorious Japanese Army Special Forces units " Shikaya " and " Kisarazu ". This was not an isolated case. During the Battle Of Suzhou the Japanese 2nd Corps suffered some 30,000 casualties.

In the Battle Of Wuhan , 100 Japanese aircraft were shot down, many Japanese Patrol Boat s sank, and Japanese land forces suffered further casualties. During the First Battle Of Changsa , large numbers of Japanese infantry were killed by Chinese forces.


After the outbreak of WWII


General Chu Teh , Commander-in-Chief of the Communist Army, published a message to the nation on July 7 , 1942 . He commented, "Why, your 8th Route Army has not received money or munitions of government in three years!" The 8th and New 4th Route Armies in 1941–1942 had to combat more than 24 Japanese divisions, or 44% of the total Japanese Armed forces dispatched in China; in the same period the 8th Route Army suffered the lowest valued in 23,034 dead and 10,856 wounded and lost 65 high rank officers. These last numbers exposed the ferocity of combat.

- General Chu calculated the number of their soldiers that died or were wounded at more than 24,000 Japanese and local collaborators. Their army and the other army together captured a total of 38,985 prisoners along with a great quantity of war equipment. The New 4th had captured 15,721 rifles, 301 machine guns (light and heavy) and many other materials including clothes, food, and medicine.

- Other testimonies mentioned about the New 4th Route Communist Army that they "had withstood 231 battles, captured 1,539 rifles, 32 light machine guns, 4 heavy machine guns, 48 sub-machine guns, 50,000 munitions for light weapons, 22,738 occupation Yen money in Japanese bank notes, radios, horses, mules, flags, 200 trucks and railway wagons, 20 km of rail lines, 7 km of roads, 95 bridges, 20 km of electric lines and captured others 38 Japanese officers and 613 collaborationist soldiers and wounded 3,253 of the enemy".

- There were a minimum of 234 deaths and 4,231 wounded. Additionally, in collaboration with local residents, they had to eliminate 3,000 bandit armies, which approved the Japanese actions for robbery and sacking villages, some of them with Japanese support.

- An example of great combat bravery was the last fight
of General Chung Yee , when he and his units joined with
other Chinese units and fought to the death against a
well-equipped, Japanese-escorted, armored division. All of the Chinese
combatants died, but Chung Yee, with two members of
his escort, retreated to the forest to find more reinforcements.
They encountered the gallant soldiers, dead, fighting against
Japanese enemies who pursued, nearby T Suan Tai Chen
on May 9 , 1940 .

- During May 18 , the General {Link without Title} , his second
Commander General Fang Chih-an and the units under their command
fought the Japanese Army in the Tsaoyang area.
General Chang's Two Regiments were surrounded in the
Fengjiang area by 6,000 enemy cavalry and infantry
units. This battle lasted eight hours with the defenders
suffering horrible losses, and their own commander
was wounded in the right arm. Their officers insisted on
a strategic retreat; but on the contrary, the Commander
ordered the defense of the land, issuing a final stand. He considered
why still poses debt with your country. The enemy
kept advancing with reinforcements. One shot from a machine gun
reached General Chang and wounded one
of his officers. Immediately ordered why theirs
debt to retreating but didn't liked to leaving your
corpse, and said, "I accomplish my debt".

Only a few hours later, the General Fang Chih-an
encountered the same Japanese force, and then destroyed it. Among
the corpses, he encountered the enemy commander. The
Japanese radio announcements glorified him and stated that his
remains would be sent to Shantung . These announcements commented
about "Cavalier traditions" and " Bushido Spirit".

The Chinese left the remains of the enemy commander (at
the same time of the corpse of Major General Chung Yee) and
conducted solemn funerals in Peipei , 50 km from the
Capital. When the Japanese discovered this, they sent their
bombers to strike the area. When finalizing these
attacks, the funerals continued, and Generalissimo
Chiang Kai Shek conferred high honours to the dead
chiefs. In the Generalissimo's Command Office one
photo of General Tze-chung remained; why your will
stay at finish in calm; similar honours were bestowed upon
the General Chung Yee for the part of Chinese
supreme commander.

- Another valiant commander who fell in combat against the
Japanese forces, was General Chang Yun-ee ,
chief of the Fourth Detachment, during the spring of 1942.

- Between the Chinese Winter operations, Japanese forces reported 40,000
dead and wounded. After these actions, there still remained 500,000 Chinese soldiers.

- In the Second Changsha battle, the Japanese offensive forces
were destroyed by Chinese forces, with great losses to the enemy. During
the Japanese retreat, the Chinese pursued and destroyed the rest
of the Japanese groups.

- During the first Burma Campaign , in the Battle Of Yenangyaung , the entire Japanese 33rd Division was annihilated by a Chinese Expeditionary
force. They liberated around 7,000 British prisoners, took
roughly 1,000 horses and freed 500 other prisoners, which included American
journalists and missionaries captured by the Japanese forces.

- After the Battle Of Kweshan , Chinese forces captured 10 soldiers of the Manchukuo Imperial Forces, two 9.3 cm pieces of heavy artillery and one plaque which read "Manufactured in Tokyo, 1940". In Juikwotan , Chinese forces confiscated two American trucks from the Japanese, one of which was still full with new packages of hand grenades. Chinese forces took the grenade packages and one artillery piece. The Chinese general headquarters was filled with Japanese flags, parts for trucks and cars, tools, rifles, pistols, revolvers, munitions, mortars with munitions, covers and raincoats. One secret peasant society, "Hwang Shih Hwei", helped to capture Japanese troops and the equipment mentioned above during combat actions. The Chinese lamented the loss in combat of a young officer Loh Hun-ping , near the enemy position in Miaoerpu , when he guided one offensive group against the enemy.

- In the Chekiang-Kiangsi skirmish, Chinese forces rescued some members of the American Doolittle Raid . When arriving to Chekiang, they encountered the Japanese and collaborationist armies. The Chinese forces during intense skirmishes caused approximately 17,000 deaths to enemy forces.

- Chinese forces initiated collateral operations and intense guerrilla activities. This impeded Japan's first attempt to organize the great mass of Japanese units needed to form the terrible pincer attack during their planned
invasion against Sichuan. The Chinese received indirect aid from the U.S. Navy for the Japanese Navy's defeat in Midway and the U.S. Army in defeating the Japanese Army in the Solomon Islands campaigns; these defeats prevented the Japanese forces from sending adequate reinforcements to the China Mainland for their previously planned invasion of Sichuan, and they lost their control of the sea routes.

- Chinese forces joining the " Flying Tigers " destroyed the new Japanese divisions slated to invade Sichuan during the Battle Of Hubei .

- In the Battle of Changteh, the Japanese were defeated by the New Fourth Chinese
forces, even when the Japanese made terrible chemical warfare strikes against the population and the Chinese forces.


End of the war


- During the last offensive, Japanese forces were again defeated in North Hupei , West Hunan , Hsihsiaoko , Laohoku , Ninhsiang , Yiyang , Wuyang , Liuchow - Kweilin , Nanning , Kwangsi , and Yuehcheng Shan .

- On May 22 , 1945 , Chinese forces took prisoner "17 Japanese officers, 230 soldiers and captured 347 horses, 24 cannons of various caliber, 100 light and heavy machine guns, 1,333 rifles, and 20 tonnes of assorted equipment".

- Chinese forces launched massive counter-offensive actions against the last Japanese positions in Canton and Kwangsi. They also took part in other counter-offensives with the Allied Forces in the South China area against the remaining Japanese forces in the area.


CHINESE ARMY ARMOURED VEHICLES


Chinese Land forces received some vehicles for its armored forces, as follows:


Local warlord armored cars designs


  • GMC 1931 truck with a 37 mm gun and 2 machine guns in a crude turret (possibly some 7000 units)



From UK




From Poland


  • Polish FT-17 (30-45 units)



From France




From Italy


  • CV.33 (20 or 100 units)



From Germany




From USSR


  • T-26 b (87 or 88 units)

  • T-27b Mod.1933

  • Soviet BA-20

  • Soviet BA-6

  • Soviet BA-3

  • Soviet BA-27

  • Soviet IS-2

  • Soviet SU-76

  • Soviet SU-122 (1148 units)

  • Soviet T-34

  • Soviet T-63



From United States


  • U.S. M3A1 Scout Car (36 units)

  • U.S. M42 (17 units)

  • U.S. Willys Jeep

  • U.S. M52 (90 units)

  • U.S. M44 (6 units)

  • U.S. M41, M41A1 (66 units)

  • U.S. M24 Light Tank (233 units)

  • U.S. M74 Recovery Vehicle (7 units)

  • U.S. LVT(A)4 (1890 units)

  • U.S. M3A3 , M5A1 Stuart (48 units)

  • U.S. M4 Sherman (35 units)

  • U.S. M-18

  • U.S. M3 Half-track

  • U.S. Marmon-Herrington CTLS-4TAC (82 units)

  • U.S. Marmon-Herrington CTLS-4TAY (82 units)



From captured Japanese equipment




CHINESE AIR FORCE


Chinese Air Force Units earned many successes. Some accounts of their dogfights, bombings, attacks and other actions are:

  • One Chinese pilot in an American aircraft Boeing P-12 F (model 218) was the first American fighter to bring down a Japanese fighter over Shanghai. In the same action during another combat, these same fighter are downed.


  • The Chinese Air Force also used the Boeing P-26 A "Peashooter" against Japanese opponents during aerial engagements over Nanking and Shanghai. They succeeded in shooting down Japanese bombers.


  • The backbone of Chinese fighters from 1937 were the Curtiss Hawk 75 I, II, III against Japanese fighters over Peking and Shanghai until 1941.





  • The land-strike bombers Curtiss A-12 Shrike were used by the Chinese against Japanese forces from January 1937. At the same time they used some Heinkel He 50 A in similar missions. Later, Chinese units also replaced their equipment with some Petlyakov Pe-2 , Ilyushin Il-2 m3 and Ilyushin Il-10 Russian Dive bombers in the last phases of the conflict.


  • Some Chinese fighters used the Dewoitine D.501 C in taking action against Japanese air forces during 1937–1941.





  • The Chinese Curtiss-Wright CW-21 "Demon" (32 units) were armed in China by CAMCO (Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company) and used in the Central Chinese front. This company also took the mission to arm the Curtiss P-40 for the use of the Flying Tigers.


  • The Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek possessed one Boeing C-73 (Model 237Y), a specially-modified personal plane. This plane was destroyed during combat. It was replaced by a Curtiss-Wright BT-32 "Condor II", his new personal transport.


  • The Bomber used in the Taihoku Air Strike was a Martin 139 WH-2 (Model 139). Precisely from these attacks did the Chinese Air Force commence their bombing campaign. They left to Japan to show the terror of air strikes on their enemy's own soil in first times to sustain some intense air attacks against Japanese forces and collaborationists in their controlled lands in the Chinese mainland.



  • CAMCO constructed examples of Vultee V-12 -C/D land-strike bombers (74 units) during the conflict. Their manufacture continued in the Indian HAL factory after the Japanese struck CAMCO installations.


  • The Japanese Navy ordered the envoy of six Mitsubishi A6M 2 Reisen "Zero"(model 11) from Yokosuka Air detachment and Naval Base to Wuhan airfield, in Chinese occupied land, on July 21 , 1940 —two days before the type was to be officially accepted into service. Those "Zeros",and nine more that soon followed, were assigned to the evaluation operative unit 12th Koku Tai (Air Corps), under command of Captain Kiichi Hasegawa . The first operational mission was August 19 , 1940 ,when Lieutenant Tamotsu Yokoyama led 12 "Zeros" in scort of 54 Mitsubishi G3M 2 "Nell", on a 1,150 mile (1,850 km) round trip, to bomb Chungking . The Japanese encountered no aerial opposition on that or the following day in area.



  • On September 13 , 1940 ], during Hankow air Battle, 13 Mitsubishi A6M 2 (Model 11)of 12° Air Corps, led by Japanese Navy Lieutenant Saburo Shindo scorted 27 Mitsubishi G4M 1 "Betty" Bombers and Mitsubishi C5M 1 "Babs" reconnaissance planes, over the perimeter of the city. They wondered why there were no enemy planes, when they saw between the smoke 28 Polikarpov I-152 and 9 Polikarpov I-16 of 4th Chinese Fighter Group, led by Chinese Colonel Cheng Shao-yu . The result of air battle, Japanese sustained why poses 27 air victories, the Chinese counts alleged only 13 proper losses, additionally others 11 return severe damaged between these losses stay 10 killed and 8 wounded gallantry Chinese pilots, included your proper leader, Colonel Cheng.




  • Chinese units in reconnaissance missions used the F-5, the reconnaissance version of the Lockheed P-38 G Lightning and Focke-Wulf Fw 44 C Stieglitz.


  • Chinese Republic P-43 A-1 Lancer fighters opposed the Japanese during 1942–1943.



  • Some Vultee V-1A were also used as transports/couriers during the Chinese-Japanese conflict.


  • The Chinese Air Force assisted the Doolitle raiders with some hidden airfields in the Chekiang area.



  • CAMCO was a private Chinese Company dedicated to making aircraft from pieces of U.S. or foreign origin, and they were also a repair shop. This company was another source of support for the Flying Tigers' activities in the Chinese Mainland. The installations of this company at Loiwing were the object of air strikes by Japanese Bombers.


  • Some types of the planes previously mentioned were dispatched in fierce defense of Hankow , Wuchang and Chungking against Japanese Army and Navy Air forces.


  • The Chinese bombing campaign continued with air cover from Flying Tigers fighters against enemy occupied territories. The USAAF lent aid together with modern medium Chinese Bombers in the China mainland for advanced to American Heavy Bombers( B-24 )and Very Heavy Bombers ( B-29 ) which took off from south Chinese air fields against Japanese territory, their exterior provinces, their controlled lands and Manchukuo.



Chinese Air Force equipment


Weapons of the Chinese air forces:


Commander personal transport


  • American Boeing 247D (C-73) Model 237Y (First transport of

  • Chiang Kai Shek)

  • American Curtiss-Wright BT-32 "Condor" II (Second transport of

  • Chiang Kai Shek)



Fighters


  • American Boeing P-12 F (model 218) (1 unit)

  • American Boeing P-26 A "Peashooter" (Model 281) (11 units)

  • American Curtiss Hawk I, II, III (270 units)

  • French Dewoitine D.510c (24 units)

  • British Armstrong Whitworth A.W.16/35 "Scimitar" (17 units)

  • British Gloster Gladiator Mk. I (36 units)

  • Italian Fiat CR.30

  • Italian Fiat CR.32bis (24 units)

  • Italian Breda Ba.27 "Metallico" (11 units)

  • Russian Polikarpov I-15bis "Tchaika" (I-152)

  • Russian Polikarpov I-153

  • Russian Polikarpov I-16 Type 6

  • Russian Polikarpov UTI-4 (fighter training)

  • American Curtiss Hawk 75M (12 units)

  • American Curtiss P-36 A

  • American Curtiss P-40 B "Tomahawk" (36 units)

  • American Curtiss P-40 N-20 "Warhawk" (377 units)

  • American Curtiss-Wright CW-21 "Demon" (32 units)

  • American North American P-51 B, C, D "Mustang" (between theirs

  • some 50 units of D Version)

  • American Republic P-43 A "Lancer" (108 units)

  • American Republic P-47 "Thunderbolt"

  • American Vultee P-66 "Vanguard" (129 units)

  • Japanese Nakajima Ki-27b "Nate" (captured)

  • Japanese Nakajima Ki-43 Ia Hayabusa "Oscar" (captured)

  • Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 (model 11) Reisen "Zero" (for evaluation)

  • Russian Yakovlev Yak-9



Bombers


  • German Heinkel He 111 A-0 (11 units)

  • Russian Tupolev SB-2/SB-2bis

  • Russian Tu-2S

  • American Martin 139 WH-2 (Model 139) (9 units)

  • American Lockheed A-29 "Hudson" (3 units)

  • American North American B-25H, G and J "Mitchell" (131 units)

  • American Boeing B-17F "Flying Fortress"



Land strike


  • German Heinkel He 50 Ach (12 units)

  • German Heinkel He 61 Ch (export version of Heinkel He 45C)

  • American Curtiss A-12 Shrike (20 units)

  • American Vultee V-12-C/D (78 units)

  • American Northrop Gamma 2E (49 units)

  • American Vought V-65/92C Corsair (64 units)

  • British Westland Wapiti Mk. III (4 units)

  • British Armstrong Withworth Atlas Mk. I (16 units)

  • French Breguet Bre. XIX B2

  • Russian Petlyakov Pe-2

  • Russian Ilyushin Il-10

  • Russian Ilyushin Il-2m3



Reconnaissance


  • American P-38G (F-5 Recon. type) Lightning

  • German Focke-Wulf Fw-44 Stieglitz

  • Italian Caproni Ca.111



General transport/courier


  • German Focke-Wulf Fw-58 Weie

  • American Beech C-45 Expediter

  • British Avro Tutor Mk.I (5 units)

  • British Airspeed A.S. 6 Envoy (Kwangsi Type) (2 units)

  • British Avro 626 (model 637) (Kwangsi Type) (8 units)

  • Italian Savoia-Marchetti S.M.74 (20 units)



General uses/urgent fighter


  • American Ryan STM-S2



Arms of "Flying Tigers"(A.V.G.) Unit


  • American Curtiss Hawk 75M (1 unit (for personal use of Gen. Claire Chennault))

  • American Curtiss P-40 IIB "Tomahawk" (90 units)

  • American Curtiss P-40 E "Kittyhawk" IA (30 units)

  • American Curtiss-Wright CW-21B "Demon" (3 units)



SEE ALSO




EXTERNAL LINKS


  • http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/WarPrizes.htm

  • (history of the first Mitsubishi A6M Zero captured by the Chinese)