Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
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| Battle of Henan–Hunan–Guangxi (Operation Ichigo) | |||||||
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| Part of Second Sino-Japanese War | |||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||
| National Revolutionary Army (Republic of China) | Japan | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| General Wei Lihuang | Field Marshal Shunroku Hata | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 390,000 | 400,000 men, 12,000 cars and 70,000 horses | ||||||
| Second Sino-Japanese War |
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| Major engagements in bold Mukden - Invasion of Manchuria -(Jiangqiao - Nenjiang Bridge - Chinchow - Harbin) - Shanghai (1932) - Operation Nekka - ( Rehe - Great Wall) - Suiyuan - Marco Polo Bridge - Beiping-Tianjin - Chahar - Shanghai (1937) (Sihang Warehouse) - Beiping-Hankou Railway - Tianjin-Pukou Railway - Taiyuan - (Pingxingguan) - Xinkou - Nanjing - Xuzhou- Taierzhuang - N.-E.Henan - (Lanfeng) - (Amoy) - Wuhan - Canton - (Hainan) - (Xiushui River) - Nanchang - Suixian-Zaoyang - (Swatow) - 1st Changsha - S.Guangxi- (Kunlun Pass) - Winter Offensive -(Wuyuan) -S.Henan - Zaoyang-Yichang - Hundred Regiments - Indochina Expedition - Shanggao - S.Shanxi - 2nd Changsha - 3rd Changsha - Yunnan-Burma Road-(Yenangyaung)- Zhejiang-Jiangxi - W.Hubei - N.Burma-W.Yunnan - Changde - C.Henan - 4th Changsha - Guilin-Liuzhou - W.Henan-N.Hubei - W.Hunan- 2nd Guangxi edit |
The Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi (Traditional Chinese: 豫湘桂會戰, Simplified Chinese: 豫湘桂会战, pinyin: Yù Xīang Guì Huìzhàn) also known as Operation Ichigo or Tairiku Datsū Sakusen (Japanese:一号作戦 or 大陸打通作戦) was a series of major battles between the Imperial Japanese Army forces and the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, fought from April to December 1944. It consists of 3 separate battles in the Chinese provinces of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi, which were the Battle of Central Henan, the Battle of Changheng, and the Battle of Guilin-Liuzhou respectively.
The aim of the offensive was to secure a continuous railway route across China linking Japanese-occupied Manchuria with Southeast Asia.
This operation consisted of two phases. The first phase was to secure the Pinghan Railway between Beijing and Wuhan; the second phase was to eliminate US air forces stationed in Hunan province and to reach the city of Liuzhou, near the border with Japanese-held Indochina. 17 divisions, including 400,000 men, 12,000 vehicles and 70,000 horses participated in this operation.
In Henan, 390,000 Chinese soldiers, led by General Tang Enbo (汤恩伯), were deployed and its strategic position was Luoyang. The 3rd Tank Division of the IJA crossed the Yellow River around Zhengzhou in late April and defeated Chinese forces near Xuchang, then swung around clockwise and besieged Luoyang. Luoyang was defended by three Chinese divisions. The 3rd Tank Division began to attack Luoyang on May 13 and took it on May 25.
The second phase of Ichigo began in May, following the success of the first phase. Japanese forces advanced southward and occupied Changsha, Hengyang, Guilin and Liuzhou. In December 1944, Japanese forces reached French Indochina and achieved the purpose of the operation.
Though the purpose was achieved, there were little practical gains from this offensive. US air forces moved inland. The U.S. Fourteenth Air Force often disrupted the continuous railway between Beijing and Liuzhou that had been established in Operation Ichigo. Japan continued to attack airfields where US air forces stationed up to the spring of 1945.
The XX Bomber Command operating Strategic B29 bombers of the Twentieth Air Force, which were attacking the Japan in Operation Matterhorn, were forced to move as well, but although this affected their efficiency for a short time, in early in 1945 the B-29 of the Twentieth Air Force moved to newly established bases in the Marianas under the command of the newly established XXI Bomber Command. This nullified the limited protection that the Japanese home islands had received from Operation Ichigo.
The failure to hold onto the coastal airfields led to a loss of confidence in the American General Joseph Stilwell by Chiang Kai-Shek and Stilwell was recalled to the United States in October 1944 by President Roosevelt. He was replaced as Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-Shek and commander of the U.S. Forces, China Theater (USFCT) by Major General Albert Wedemeyer. His other command responsibilities in the China Burma India Theater were divided up and allocated to other officers.
- Tank Unit:3rd Tank Division
- Commander:Lieut. General Yamaji
- Tanks:255 Tanks (Type 97 Medium Tanks, Type 97-Improved Medium Tanks, Type 95 Light Tanks)
[edit] The Organization of 3rd Tank Division
- 3rd Tank Division
- 5th Tank Brigade
- 8th Tank Regiment
- -1 Light Tank Company, 3 Medium Tank Companies, 1 Gun Tank Company
- 12th Tank Regiment
- -1 Light Tank Company, 3 Medium Tank Companies, 1 Gun Tank Company
- 6th Tank Brigade
- 13th Tank Regiment
- -1 Light Tank Company, 3 Medium Tank Companies, 1 Gun Tank Company
- 17th Tank Regiment
- -1 Light Tank Company, 3 Medium Tank Companies, 1 Gun Tank Company
- Recon Unit
- -2 Light Tank Companies, 1 Gun Tank Company, 1 Motorized Infantry Company
- -Notes:
5th Tank Brigade did not participate in the Operation Ichi-Go. Only tank units are indicated. Other units are omitted. Each Tank Company had 12 tanks + 2 tanks in HQ. One Tank Regiment had 73 tanks. Gun Tank Company was equipped with Type 97 Medium Tanks. Real Gun Tank was not deployed.
