Battle of Taiyuan

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1937 battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War

Battle of Taiyuan

Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War

Chinese troops departing Taiyuan for the frontline, October 1937
| Date|  (1937-09-01) (1937-11-09)September 1 – November 9, 1937
(2 months, 1 week and 1 day)

|

Location|

Taiyuan, North China Plain, China

Result|  Japanese victory
Belligerents

China

* Chinese Nationalist Party
* Chinese Communist Party

Japan

* Mongol Military Government

Commanders and leaders
Yan Xishan
Yang Aiyuan
Wei Lihuang
Zhu De
Fu Zuoyi|  Isogai Rensuke
Itagaki Seishiro
Demchugdongrub
Units involved

* 6th army group
* 7th army group
* 14th army group
* 18th army group
* 28th Pursuit Squadron, 5th Pursuit Group
* Warlord army of Huang Shaohong

* 5th division
* 20th division
* Provisional air division
* 1st independent mixed brigade
* 11th independent mixed brigade
* 12th independent mixed brigade
* 15th independent mixed brigade
* 9th Mongolian cavalry division
Strength
6 Army Groups, 288,801 men[1]|  5 divisions, ~140,000 men
Casualties and losses
Western Claim : 50,000+ killed and wounded[2]

Chinese Claim :[1][a]
2,812 officers and 47,770 soldiers killed
5,457 officers and 71,930 soldiers wounded
52 officers and 1,716 soldiers missing|  Western Claim : Thousands of casualties

Chinese Claim : 27,472 casualties[1]

Japanese Claim :
5th division : 5,712 casualties[3]
20th division : about 2,300 casualties[4]
109th division : 93 casualties[5]
15th mixed brigade and other units from the Kwantung Army : 1,917 casualties[6][7][8][9]

1. ^ Not including losses of the Eighth Route Army

* v
* t
* e

Second Sino-Japanese War

1931–1937 (pre-war skirmishes)

* Manchuria
* Mukden
* Lytton Report
* Jiangqiao
* Nenjiang Bridge
* Jinzhou
* Harbin
* 1st Shanghai
* Pacification of Manchukuo
* Great Wall
*       * Rehe
* Inner Mongolia
* Suiyuan

1937–1939

* Marco Polo Bridge
* Beiping–Tianjin
* Chahar
* 2nd Shanghai
* Sihang Warehouse
* Railway Operation
* Beiping–Hankou
* Tianjin–Pukou
* Taiyuan
* Pingxingguan
* Xinkou
* Nanking
* Massacre
* Xuzhou
* Taierzhuang
* North-East Henan
* Lanfeng
* Amoy
* Chongqing
* Yellow River flood
* Wuhan
* Wanjialing
* Wenxi fire
* Canton
* Hainan
* Nanchang
* Suixian–Zaoyang
* Swatow
* 1st Changsha
* South Guangxi
* Kunlun Pass
* Winter Offensive
* West Suiyuan
* Wuyuan

1940–1942

* Zaoyang–Yichang
* Hundred Regiments
* North Vietnam
* Central Hubei
* South Anhui
* South Henan
* West Hubei
* Shanggao
* South Shanxi
* 2nd Changsha
* 3rd Changsha
* Yunnan-Burma Road
* Tachiao
* Oktwin
* Toungoo
* Yenangyaung
* Zhejiang–Jiangxi
* Sichuan (cancelled)

1943–1945

* West Hubei
* North Burma and West Yunnan
* Myitkyina
* Mount Song
* Changde
* Ichi-Go
* 4th Changsha
* Hengyang
* Guilin–Liuzhou
* West Henan–North Hubei
* West Hunan
* Guangxi

Air War

* Taihoku

* v
* t
* e

Military campaigns of the Empire of Japan

Meiji era

* Taiwan (1874)
* Ganghwa (1875)
* Ryukyu (1879)
* Qing-Japanese War (1894–1895)
* Triple Intervention (1895)
* Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901)
* Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)
* Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910

Taishō era

* Tsingtao (1914)
* German Pacific possesions (1914)
* Siberia (1918–1922)

Shōwa era

* Manchuria (1931–1932)
* China (1937–1945)
* French Indochina (1940)
* coup d'état 1945
* Pacific Theatre (1941–1945)

The Japanese offensive called 太原作戦 or the Battle of Taiyuan[10] was a major battle fought in 1937 between China and Japan named for Taiyuan (the capital of Shanxi province), which lay in the 2nd Military Region. The battle concluded in a victory for Japan over the National Revolutionary Army (NRA), including part of Suiyuan, most of Shanxi and the NRA arsenal at Taiyuan, and effectively ended large-scale organized resistance in the North China area.

Japanese forces included the Japanese Northern China Area Army under Hisaichi Terauchi, elements of the Kwantung Army, and elements of the Inner Mongolian Army led by Demchugdongrub. Chinese forces were commanded by Yan Xishan (warlord of Shanxi), Wei Lihuang (14th Army Group), and Fu Zuoyi (7th Army Group), as well as Zhu De who led the Eighth Route Army of the Chinese Communist Party (under the Second United Front alliance).

Occupation of the territories gave the Japanese access to coal from Datong in northern Shanxi, but also exposed them to attacks by the guerrilla forces of the Nationalist army including the Eighth Route Army, tying down many Japanese troops which could have been diverted to other campaigns.

The battle was marked by fierce urban combat.[11]

## Background

[edit]

After the Marco Polo Bridge incident in July 1937 the Japanese invaded North China. By the end of that month the Japanese North China Area Army (jap 北支那方面軍, Kita Shina hōmen gun) under Lieutenant General Kiyoshi Katsuki were at the outskirts of Peking.[12] In August and September 1937, following the capture of Peking and the commencement of the offensive westwards through Nankow Pass to Shansi, the North China Area Army advanced southwards along the primary rail lines. However, the advance was necessitated to be suspended in order to allocate resources to the Shanghai front, which required three divisions, and the Manchuria front, for which one division was required. The group made a strategic halt at the Yellow River near Tsinan, which is located on the border of Shantung province. In this particular instance, it is conceivable that a cessation of hostilities would have occurred in anticipation of Han Fu-chii, the governor of Shantung, potentially aligning with the Japanese.

Instead, while the Japanese were waiting, Governor Han obeyed Chiang Kai-shek’s orders to destroy Japanese property. In Tsingtao, the local authorities suddenly purchased 10,000 gallons of kerosene, which they used to carry out the destruction on 29 and 30 December. Due to Japan’s significant investments in Shantung, it was crucial that the province be captured swiftly, prompting the North China Area Army to resume its advance. This time, Han chose not to fight, for which Chiang had him executed, and the Japanese occupation of Tsingtao was unopposed. Operations in China now came to a halt. The 1937 campaigns had consumed vast quantities of men and munitions, and the Rape of Nanking alone had caused a breakdown in discipline serious enough to undermine the military effectiveness of the mainland armies. Time was needed to consolidate, replenish and repair the war machine before it could advance again.[12]

## Battle

[edit]

In September 1937, Hideki Tojo sent the Japanese army stationed in Chahar to invade Shanxi in order to exploit its resources. The city of Datong fell, and the NRA was forced to go on the defensive, and concentrated their troops along the Great Wall in battles at places like Pingxingguan and to the east at Niangziguan.[citation needed]

On September 21, 1937, Major Hiroshi Miwa, commander of the 1st Daitai, 16th Hiko Rentai of the IJAAF, who was a former-hired military flight instructor for Zhang Xueliang's Fengtian army air corps and well known in the Chinese military aviation circles of the time, led 7 Kawasaki Ki-10 fighters on an escort mission for 14 Mitsubishi Ki-2 bombers to attack the city of Taiyuan, encountered Chinese Air Force V-65C Corsairs and Curtiss Hawk IIs, shooting down several, however Major Miwa himself was shot down and killed over Taiyuan in a duel with Captain Chan Kee-Wong, commander of the 28th PS, 5th PG whilst flying a Curtiss Hawk II.[citation needed]

Yan Xishan also sent troops to reinforce Shijiazhuang, but that caused a lack of personnel to defend the North China area, allowing the Japanese army to break through in the north forcing the Chinese to fall back to a new line at Xinkou, Shanxi. Fighting continued in October in the Battle of Xinkou until the Japanese outflanked Niangziguan in late October.[citation needed]

### Battle of the Ladies Pass

[edit]

On October 8, Chiang Kai-shek ordered two armies, a Corps and a division to defend the Ladies Pass, a critical point on the rail line to Taiyuan. The Chinese defenders mounted a 35-mile defensive line just east of a spur of the Great Wall. When Shijiazhuang fell on October 10, the Japanese 20th Division attacked the defensive line. Four days later, the Japanese broke through the Chinese outer defenses, but advanced too fast and were quickly surrounded by Chinese troops and guerrillas. The Japanese managed to hold their ground despite sustaining severe losses, and the Chinese retreated back to the main defensive point at Ladies pass on October 22.[2]

On October 27, the Japanese 109th Division reinforced the 20th Division, and launched a two-pronged attack against the pass. The Chinese 3rd Corps, alarmed at the prospect of being encircled, retreated from its positions to Pingding 20 miles away. The Japanese attacked Chinese positions at the Wall and Ladies Pass, and forced the Chinese defenders into a rout. This resulted in an open path to Taiyuan for the 20th and 109th Japanese Division.[2]

### Battle for the Outer Line of Defense

[edit]

On October 13, the Japanese 5th Division and the Chahar Expeditionary Force, supported by air and heavy artillery bombardments, attacked the Chinese defenses North of Taiyuan. The Chinese defenders had entrenched themselves in prepared fortifications, and managed to hold the Japanese off for ten days in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. Both sides suffered thousands of casualties in the ferocious fighting.[2]

On October 23, the Japanese finally ripped through the Chinese lines. The Chinese units conducted an orderly retreat and took up positions atop the high ground on the Blue Dragon Ridge, 20 miles north of Taiyuan.[13]

### Battle for Blue Dragon Ridge

[edit]

The Chinese defenders at Blue Dragon Ridge fought against relentless Japanese attacks for another five days, enduring repeated air, artillery and tank attacks. Of key importance was the Tungshan fort, a massive fortification that controlled the eastern half of the Chinese defenses with its height.The Chinese managed to fight for another five days, but on November 2, Japanese engineers tunneled under Tungshan and set off a series of charges beneath it. The resulting massive explosion destroyed the key bastion and its entire garrison.[2]

On November 3, the Chinese withdrew to their final positions 5 miles north of Taiyuan. The Left Flank Army crossed the Fen River and dispersed into the mountains to the west.[13] The fighting for Blue Dragon Ridge had cost the Chinese dearly: some 30,000 of Yan's troops had been lost holding the hills.[2]

### Final Battle for Taiyuan

[edit]

In early November, the Japanese attacked the last defense positions north of Taiyuan. The 20th and 109th Divisions, having marched unopposed to the area, flanked the city. By this point, Taiyuan was under assault from the north, east, and southeast.[2] On November 7, most of the Chinese troops had evacuated the city in a disorganized mob. The Japanese demanded that the remaining Chinese units surrender. Local commanders refused.[13]

The Japanese responded on the morning of November 8 by showering the city with bombs, heavy artillery, and blasted their way through the city gates and walls with cannon fire and tanks. Assault troops of the 5th Division smashed rushed the gaps and crashed into the city, but were confronted by the Chinese defenders. A bitter hand-to-hand battle broke out in the streets and alleyways of Taiyuan that lasted through the night. By evening, half of Taiyuan had fallen, and much of it had been destroyed.[2][13]

In the night of November 8, the last Chinese units in the city attempted to escape the city, joining crowds of panicked refugees fleeing over the Fen River bridge. In the chaos of the rout, panicking Chinese soldiers shoved civilians off the bridge to make room for themselves. By the morning of November 9, those soldiers and civilians that still remained jammed in the southwest gate and the sole bridge were strafed and bombed by Japanese planes, killing and injuring countless people.[2][13] By the night of November 9, Taiyuan had been captured by the Japanese forces. The Chinese had lost 20,000 men and 80 artillery pieces defending the city.[2] Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and injured, and most of the city had been destroyed in the fighting.[13] On November 10, the Japanese pushed to Pingyao 55 miles south of Taiyuan, and wiped out the last Chinese resistance in the region. By this point, the Japanese had secured the majority of Shanxi Province.<ref>[14]

## See also

[edit]

* Order of battle of the Battle of Taiyuan

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Clodfelter, Michael (2008). Warfare and armed conflicts : a statistical encyclopedia of casualty and other figures, 1494-2007. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 9780786433193.
* Kuromiya, Hiroaki (2023). Stalin, Japan, and the Struggle for Supremacy over China, 1894–1945. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-032-06673-8.
* Harries, Meirion; Harries, Susie (1991). Soldiers of the sun : the rise and fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. New York: Random House. ISBN 0394569350.
* Dorn, Frank (1974). The Sino-Japanese War, 1937-41: From Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0025322001.
* Levine, Steven I.; Chieh Hsiung, James (2015). China's bitter victory : the war with Japan, 1937-1945. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781563242465.
* Long-hsuen, Hsu; Ming-kai, Chang (1971). History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Taipei: Chung Wu Publishing. pp. 195–200\. OCLC 28762092.
* Parks, Coble M. (1991). Facing Japan: Chinese Politics and Japanese Imperialism, 1931-1937. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674290119.

37°51′00″N 112°33′00″E﻿ / ﻿37.8500°N 112.5500°E﻿ / 37.8500; 112.5500

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c 太原會戰 (一). 國防部史政局. 1962. pp. 20–21.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dorn 1974, pp. 125–127.
3. ^ "第３章・第４節 参考諸表". Japan Center for Asian Historical Records. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
4. ^ "戦闘要報提出の件". Japan Center for Asian Historical Records. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
5. ^ "第４章 太原攻略戦". Japan Center for Asian Historical Records. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
6. ^ Jiang, Keshi. "姜克实：平型关战役日军死伤统计". Retrieved 2025-02-17.
7. ^ "附表第１～第３ 死傷表他". Japan Center for Asian Historical Records. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
8. ^ "附表第１～第４ 死傷表他". Japan Center for Asian Historical Records. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
9. ^ "附表第１～第４ 死傷表他". Japan Center for Asian Historical Records. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
10. ^ "Japanese Forces Battle of Taiyan September through November 1937" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
11. ^ Times, Douglas Robertsonwireless To the New York (1937-11-09). "FORCES AT TAIYUAN IN DEADLY COMBAT; Chinese Hold Two-Thirds of Shansi Capital and Battle Fiercely Against Downfall CIVILIAN TRAIN IS BOMBED 200 Killed or Wounded When Japanese Attack From Air on Tientsin-Pukow Line Chinese Resistance Irks Claim Third of Taiyuan Train Bombed, 200 Casualties". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
12. ^ a b Harries & Harries 1991, pp. 210–212.
13. ^ a b c d e f Levine & Chieh Hsiung 2015, p. 138.
14. ^ Dorn 1974, p. 128.

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