Battle of Changde

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Battle of Changde
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Pitched battle at Changde
Date November 2, 1943 - December 20, 1943 Location Changde and vicinity Result Chinese victory
Belligerents
National Revolutionary Army, Republic of China	Imperial Japanese Army, Japan
Strength
100,000 troops	100,000 troops
Casualties and losses
50,000 troops	40,000 troops

The Battle of Changde (traditional Chinese: 常德會戰; simplified Chinese: 常德会战; pinyin: Chángdé Huìzhàn) was a major engagement in the Second Sino-Japanese War. On November 2, 1943 the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) invaded and occupied the undefended city of Changde. On November 18, 9,000 troops from the 57th Division of the NRA arrived and retook the city. The IJA then counterattacked, and the 57th held out for 16 days till December 3, when 100 remaining soldiers escaped the Japanese siege and linked up with reinforcements who retook the city on December 9. Reinforcements arrived from both sides and fighting continued until the IJA finally retreated on December 20.

During the battle, Japan utilised extensive biological and chemical weapons, spreading bubonic plague over a 36-km radius in the city.

Reporter Israel Epstein witnessed and reported on the battle.

Witold Urbanowicz, a Polish pilot fighting in China in 1943 saw the city just after the battle. To the best of his knowledge nearly 300 000 civilians alone died in the battle not including Chinese and Japanese soldiers.

[edit] Order of Battle: Battle of Changde

[edit] Use of bacteriological weapons

During the Khabarovsk War Crimes Trials, some witnesses such as Major General Kiyashi Kawashima, testified that, as soon as 1941, about 40 members of unit 731 dropped by airplane fleas contaminated with plague on Changde and that these operations caused outbreaks of plague epidemics.

[edit] 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. 412-416 Map 38

• Daniel Barenblatt, A plague upon Humanity, HarperCollns, 2004, pp.220-221

[edit] External links

• Axis History Forum Index; WW2 in the Pacific & Asia; Battle of Changde Order of Battle and Map, Photos from Changde (常德) War Memorial
• RESISTANCE WARS; Campaign of E-Xi, Battle Of Changde

[edit] Gallery

NRA soldiers.

Japanese prisoners at Changde.

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