Battle of Taiyuan

Battle of Taiyuan
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Date September 1 – November 9, 1937 Location Taiyuan, North China Plain Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
China Chinese Communist Party	Japan Mongol Military Government
Commanders and leaders
Yan Xishan 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 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, ~280,000 men	5 divisions, ~140,000 men
Casualties and losses
129,737	~30,000

The Japanese offensive called 太原作戦 or the Battle of Taiyuan (Chinese: 太原會戰; pinyin: Tàiyuán Huìzhàn; Wade–Giles: T'ai-yüan Hui-tsan) 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 loss for the NRA, including part of Suiyuan, most of Shanxi and their most modern 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 and elements of the Kwantung Army. Chinese forces were commanded by Yan Xishan (warlord of Shanxi), Wei Lihuang (14th Army Group), Fu Zuoyi (7th Army Group), and Zhu De (Eighth Route Army).

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.

Chronology

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.

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. Fighting continued in October in the Battle of Xinkou until the Japanese outflanked Niangziguan in late October, compromising the Chinese defense resulting in the fall of Taiyuan.

See also

• Order of battle of the Battle of Taiyuan

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. 195–200, Map 6
• 中国抗日战争正面战场作战记 China's Anti-Japanese War Combat Operations
  • Author : Guo Rugui, editor-in-chief Huang Yuzhang
  • Press : Jiangsu People's Publishing House
  • Date published : 2005-7-1
  • ISBN 7-214-03034-9
  • Online in Chinese [1]
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    • 第四部分：华北作战 平型关大捷 Pingxingguan victory
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    • 第四部分：华北作战 平型关作战简析 Pingxingguan battles simple analysis.
    • 第四部分：华北作战 会战前的一般形势太原会战 The front general situation in the Taiyuan decisive battle.
    • 第四部分：华北作战 忻口作战 Xinkow Battle
    • 第四部分：华北作战 正太路沿线作战 The best path to take in battles
    • 第四部分：华北作战 太原陷落 Taiyuan falls
    • 第四部分：华北作战 日军进攻绥远及归绥 包头失陷 The Japanese forces attack Suiyuan to subdue it, Baotou falls to the enemy