The Sino-Japanese War(Campaigns in detail)

[Akira Takizawa]

June 21st Matsu Island occupied (perhaps this is source of confusion) as perhaps that is where Goto forces are.

You said about 達濠島? (see attached map) If so, a part of Goto Detachment and a part of Sasebo 9th SNLF landed at the east coast on June 21st and at 角石 on June 22nd. They occupied whole island on June 24th.

Taki

[Jerry Asher]

Many thanks Akira:
I'm going to be going over my notes and working with a friend to do a better job of translating Shantou/Swatow.

Does your OB match mine?

As I understand it, Shantou was still an undeveloped/ non modernized port, with no facilities for night movement or mechanical aids, no cranes, etc.

[Akira Takizawa]

Does your OB match mine?

The OOB in my source is as posted in this thread before. It does not state the details of each unit, so I cannot comment about your OOB.

Taki

[asiaticus]

Here is what I have accumulated on Japanese forces in the the Swatow Operation. I assume this was a naval operation.

Swatow Operation (June 21-27,1939)

Japan

IJN 5th Fleet - Vice Admiral Kondo Nobutake [2]
　* 5th Destroyer Sentai
　* 12th Minesweeper Unit
　* 21st Minesweeper Unit
　* 45th Destroyer Unit
　* Chiyoda (carrier) -
　* 3rd Combined Air Unit
　* Canton Air Unit
　* Sasebo 9th SNLF (landing force)

Naval forces: [1]
40+ ships *
10+ motorboats

IJA
Kondo Column - ? *[1]
- 137th Brigade *

should be:

Goto Detachment - Major Gen. Juro Goto [2]
　* 132nd Infantry Brigade
　** 137th Infantry Regiment
　** 161st Infantry Regiment
　* 70th Independent Infantry Battalion
　* 2 Mountain Gun Batteries
　* 2 engineer companies
　* Tankette platoon
　* Rivercrossing material company

Airforces:
"several planes" [1]

IJN airforces from: [2]
　　Chiyoda -
　　3rd Combined Air Unit
　　Canton Air Unit

Sources:
[1] 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. 492-493

[2] http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 663#880663
Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 7:28 am
Akira Takizawa
The Japanese OOB of Swatow Operation

[Jerry Asher]

Thanks Asiaticus:

I'm going to revist my notes and translation regarding Shantou. The stuff I generally look up relates to naval ops. sometimes they don't round out disscussion re Army
Re Navy stuff--just having a devil of a time on IJN minesweeping ships and groups.
Constanly coming up with Mine 4 o2 or whatever without breakdown. Akira statment that even the stuff with Delhi Maru, Akitsu Maru is not 12th has staggered me.
I plan to devote time this week to resurvey everything I have and for questions for a meeting I have this Monday with person assisting me. Far more than American practice IJN ships crossover roles--certainly pre WW2 minesweepers and escorts seem interchangeable

Really want to move on--Lots of questions on Dongting Lakes, Changsha Yoyang, Ichang

[asiaticus]

Taki

Forgot to say, thanks for the map. Its a big help following the account in Hsu Long-hsuen, which has no map on this one.

[asiaticus]

The Swatow Operation, (June 21-27,1939) was part of a campaign by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War to blockade China to prevent it from communicating with the outside world and importing needed arms and materials. Control of Swatow would provide a base to make the blockade of Guangdong province more effective.

Part of Goto Detachment and a part of Sasebo 9th SNLF landed on the east coast on June 21st near the airfeild east Swatow. Other Japanes troops in more than ten motor boats proceaded up the Han river and landed at Mei-hsi cutting the road between Swatow north to Chao-chow. A coordiated attack by the Japanese drove the Chinese defenders, Hua Chen-chung's Brigade and local militia units, from the city of Swatou. They fell back to a line Yenfu - Meihsi on June 23rd.

The Japanese also had landed at Matsu Island south of Swatow, on June 22nd. They occupied whole island on June 24th. The Chinese fell back to Fuyang on the 24th to block the approaches to Chao-chow as the Japanese landed reinforcements.

Proceading north in pursuit the Japanese also sent forces up the river and landed to the Chinese rear, part of the Chinese force then fell back into the city while the remainder moved into the mountains northwest of the city. The Japanese advancing from the west captured Chao-chow by June 27th after heavy street fighting. Later the Chinese sent reinforcements of the 5th Reserve Division, and 1st Advance Column to block the Japanese from further advances and conduct guerrilla warfare on their positions and lines of communications.

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. 492-493

[Jerry Asher]

My apologies to all. I confused Shantou opertions of 1939 with those of 1938 which occurred almost exactly a year earlier. Taki and Asiaticus are correct. There does not seem to be a breakdown of what ships comprised Mine groups 12 and 21.

FYI Shantou ops of 1938 focused on occupying Nan noa Island some 20 nautical miles off Shantou and harrassing British agents of Butterfield and Swires to leave Shantou itself. British women and children were evacuated and a month later so were the men.

[Jerry Asher]

Sorry should have included that I came across no mention of occuppying Matsu as part of this operation in 1939. Also Matsu is hundreds of miles north of Shantou. If the Japanese ops were for Fujian province then Matsu makes sense--and of couse there could have been two concurrent ops.

[asiaticus]

That island south of Swatow is called Jiao Yu. Found it with the Google map.

[asiaticus]

Next Campaign and the last in 1940 was the Central Hopei Operation, (November 25-30, 1940)

I have accumulated this as the oob for the two sides. The is some conficting info on who was in command.

Japan

11th Army - Lt. General Katsuichiro Enbu [1] or Lt. General Waichiro Sonobe [5]
- Kayashima Force - Lt. Gen Taka Kayashima 1939- 1941[4,5] at [[Dangyang| Tang-yang]]
-- 18th Independent Mixed Brigade - Lt. Gen Taka Kayashima 1939- 1941[4,5]
--- 92nd Independent infantry battalion
--- 93rd Independent infantry battalion
--- 94th Independent infantry battalion
--- 95th Independent infantry battalion
--- 96th independent infantry battalion
--- artillery troops
--- labor troops
--- signal communication unit.
-- 40th Division, a portion - [1]
-- 40th Division - Lt-General Naojikiro Amaya, [4,5]
--- 40th Infantry Brigade group:
---- 234th Infantry regiment
---- 235th Infantry regiment
---- 236th Infantry regiment
--- 40th Cavalry regiment
--- 40th mountain artillery regiment
--- 40th military engineer regiment
--- 40th Transport regiment

- Muragami Force - Lt. Gen Keisaku Muragami[4,5] at [[Jingmen| Chingmen] ]
-- 39th Division - Keisaku Muragami[1]
-- 39th Division - Lt. Gen Keisaku Muragami [4,5]
--- 39th Infantry Brigade Group
---- 231st Infantry Rregiments
---- 232nd Infantry Regiments
---- 233rd Infantry Regiments
--- 39th Recon Regiment
--- 39th Feild Artillery Regiment
--- 39th Military Engineer Regiment
--- 39th Transport Regiment


- Hirabayashi Force - Morito Hirabayashi [at [[Zhongxiang|Chung-hsiang]]
-- 15th Division (a portion) [1]
-- 15th Division (partial) - Lt-General Keiichi Kumagai 1940- 1941[4,5]
--- Kurahashi Detachment - Col. Kurahashi ?
---- 60th Infantry Regiment / 15th Division in the Nanchang area
-- 17th Division (a portion) - Morito Hirabayashi [1]
-- 17th Division - Lt-General Morito Hirabayashi[4,5]
---17th Infantry Brigade Group
----53rd Infantry Regiment
----54th Infantry Regiment
----81st Infantry Regiment
---23rd Feild Artillery Regiment
---7th Military Engineer Regiment
---17th Transport Regiment

- Kitano Force - Lt. Gen Kenzo Kitano [north of Ching-shan] [4,5]
-- 4th Division (a portion) - Kenzo Kitana[1]
-- 4th Division - Lt. Gen Kenzo Kitano [4,5]
--- 4th Infantry Brigade group:
---- 8th Infantry Regiment
---- 37th Infantry Regiment
---- 61st Infantry Regiment
--- 4th Recon Regiment
--- 4th Feild Artillery Regiment
--- 4th Military Engineer Regiment
--- 4th Transport Regiment
-- Kususe Armored force[1] - ?
--- 7th Tank Regiment
--- 13th Tank Regiment
--- ? Tank Regiment


-Hanjima Force - Lt. General Fusataro Hanjima [at Sui Hsien/Suizhou]
-- 3rd Division - Fusataro Hanjima[1]?
--- 5th Infantry Brigade
---- 6th Infantry Regiment
---- 68th Infantry Regiment
--- 29th Infantry Brigade
---- 18th Infantry Regiment
---- 34th Infantry Regiment
--- 3rd Field Artillery Regiment
--- 3rd Cavalry Regiment
--- 3rd Engineer Regiment
--- 3rd Transport Regiment


China

5th War Area - Li Tsung-jen
- River West Group / 33rd Army Group - Feng Chih-an
-- 77th Corps - Feng Chih-an (concurrent)
--- 37th Division - Li Chiu-sze
--- 179th Division - Liu Chen-shan
-- 30th Corps - Wang Chung-lien or Chih Feng-cheng
--- 27th Division - Hsu Wen-yao
--- 30th Division - Liu Chen-shan
--- 31st Division - ?

- Right Army Group/ 29th Army Group - Wang Tsan-hsu
-- 44th Corps - Liao Chen
--- 149th Division
--- 150th Division
-- 67th Corps - Hsu Shao-tsung
--- 161st Division
--- 162nd Division

- Central Army Group/ 22nd Army Group - Sun Chen
-- 41st Corps - Chen Ting-hsun
--- 125th Division
--- 127th Division
-- 45th Corps - Sun Chen
--- 122nd Division
--- 124th Division

- 59th Corps - Huang Wei-kang [move to Hsiang-Fan area as mobile reserve] 1/41
--- 38th Division - Li Chiu-sze
--- 180th Division - Liu Chen-shan


Sources:
[1] 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. 339-342.
Map 22.

[4] Generals from Japan
http://www.generals.dk/nation/Japan.html

[5] The Japanese Mutumi troop encyclopedia
http://homepage1.nifty.com/kitabatake/r ... untop.html

[Akira Takizawa]

Correct names

11th Army - Lt. General Waichiro Sonobe [5]
- Kayashima Force - Lt. Gen Takashi Kayashima 1939- 1941[4,5] at [[Dangyang| Tang-yang]]
-- 18th Independent Mixed Brigade - Lt. Gen Takashi Kayashima 1939- 1941[4,5]
-- 40th Division - Lt-General Naojiro Amaya, [4,5]
- Murakami Force - Lt. Gen Keisaku Murakami[4,5] at [[Jingmen| Chingmen] ]
-- 39th Division - Lt. Gen Keisaku Murakami [4,5]
-Teshima Force - Lt. General Fusataro Teshima [at Sui Hsien/Suizhou]
-- 3rd Division - Fusataro Teshima[1]?


Taki

[asiaticus]

Thanks for clearing up the names.

[asiaticus]

Narrative derived from Hsu Long-hsuen,s history. Names in [ ] are modern place names I have been able to ID.

Central Hopei Operation, East and West of Hsiang River (November 25-30, 1940)


After the battle of Zaoyang-Yichang in the summer of 1940, the Japanese controled [Yichang ] I-chang and [Shashi] Sha-shih. The Chinese controled the area east and west of the [Xiang River] Hsiang River. Their lines extended from the southwest of Yuan-an via [Jingmen] Ching-men, north of [Jingzhou] Chung-hsiang, and the foothills of Ta-hung Shan, to the area northwest of [Suizhow] Sui Hsien astride both banks of the Hsiang River. The Wu-tang Mountains were on the right and the Tung-po Mountains on the left. In coordination with the guerilla forces in the southeast, the Chinese repeatedly struck at the the Japanese forces that had penetrated to I-chang. As a result the Japanese forces at [Yichang] I-chang and [Shashi] Sha-shih found their flanks exposed and in a difficult position. To releive themselves of this threat they launched an offensive against the Chinese forces in late November.

Preparations

During early November the Japanese made preparations for their attack, repairing and constucting roads, bridges, defense works and airfeilds. Rations, ammunition, metal and rubber boats, were stored in the vicinity of Chung-hsiang. They also brought in additional troops into the area west of the Xiang River, estimated at five regiments bringing their strength to the equivalent of three Divisions. To the east at the Japanese increased their strength to a full division (3rd Division) at [Suizhow] Sui Hsien along the Hsiang - Hua highway. They further brought in supporting units of tanks and artillery in these areas.

On November 23rd Japanese preparations were complete and their unit deployed in their attack postions in five major forces:

* Kayashima Force at [Dangyang] Tang-yang composed of the 18th Independent Mixed Brigade and a portion of the 4th Division under Lt. Gen Taka Kayashima commander of the 18th Independent Mixed Brigade.

* Murakami Force, at [Jingmen] Chingmen , the 39th Division under its comander Lt. Gen Keisaku Muragami.

* Hirabayashi Force, at [Zhongxiang] Chung-hsiang , composed of a portion of the 17th Division and Kurahashi Detachment (the detached 60th Infantry Regiment from 15th Division) under the commander of 17th Division , Lt-General Morito Hirabayashi.

* Kitano Force north of Ching-shan southeast of the vicinity of modern [Shuanghe] , composed of a portion of the 4th Division and the Kususe Armored force (7th and 13th Tank Regiments) under Lt. Gen Kenzo Kitano commander of the 4th Division.

* Teshima Force at [Suizhou] Sui Hsien composed of the 3rd Division under its commander Lt. General Fusataro Hanjima.

Li Zongren recognizing the Japanese build up foretold an attack, had his 5th War Area alerted. He ordered the River West Army Army Group (30th and 77th Corps), Right Army Group (44th and 67th Corps ) and Central Army Group (41st and 45th Corps) to check the coming Japanese advance by counterattacks on the flanks of their advancing columns when the opportunity presented itself.

The Offensive

On the morning of November 25, the Japanese began their attack in several columns.

On the Western Front between the Hsiang River and Tang-yang, over 1,000 Japanese from the Kayashima Force, advanced northward from Tang-yang toward Hengtien, and broke through the gap between the positions of the 179th and 37th Divisions of the Chinese 77th Corps at Yang-chi-ai.

Over 3,000 Japanese from Murakami Force from [Jingmen] Ching-men broke through the positions of the 27th Division of the Chinese 30th Corps toward Yen-chih-miao.

Meanwhile the Japanese Kitano Force moving northwest from Chu-chia-fu to Tung-lin-ling]] and divided into several columns to drive north deep into the Chinese postion at Liang-shui-ching, Hsia-chia-tzu, and northeast toward Kuai-huo-pu. At night, the River West Army Group swung reseves into blocking positions from Heng-tien to Yen-chih-miao and Kuai-huo-pu.

On November 26, the Murakami Force reached Hsien-chu. On November 27th the Murakami Force attacked Liu-hou-chi and the two columns of Kitano Force attacked Li-chia-tang, both fighting bitterly for a day against the Chinese 30th Corps reserve, the 30th Division under Liu Chen-shan, who halted their advance. At dusk the Chinese 30th Corps launched a counterattack in force with elements of the 31st and 27th Divisions striking the Japanese rear areas. Unable to withstand this attack the Japanese retreated toward Ching-men and Chung-hsiang, with the Chinese in pursuit.

Meanwhile east of the Hsiang River on the Ching-Chung Highway Front the Japanese Hirabayashi Force massed more than 3,000 men in an attack on Changshoudien and Wang-chia-tien attempting to encircle the [Zhangjiaji] Chang-chia-chi - Wu-lung-kuan line. On November 26th, the Japanese reinforced to 5,000 men, advanced a force east to [Sanligang] San-li-kang, while the main force attacked Pien-chai, Wang-chia-ho and Yu-nan-men. Heavy fighting lasted until darkness ended the clash in a stalemate. On November 27th the Chinese 44th Corps counterattacked from Wang-chia-ho. Its converging attack with the main force of the 67th Corps towards the northwest, caused heavy casualties to the Japanese.

On November 25th the Japanese Teshima Force on the Sui Hsien Front launched a violent attack with a column of 2,000men from Liang-chui-kou on the Chinese 123rd Division at [Lishan]. Two additional columns of more than 1000 men each advanced west toward Ho-yuan-tien and Ching-ming-pu. By darkness, the Japanese reinforced. On November 26th the Japanese fought a bitter battle with the Chinese 124th and 127th Divisions at Chin-chi Shan and Ching-ming-pu. Another Japanese force of 700-800 men moved from Hsi-ho via Lang-ho-tien to Tang-chia-fan. Having been attacked by our 41st Corps, the Japanese in the vicinity of Ching-ming-pu linked up with their force at Chin-chi Shan and moved to the vicinity of Ho-yuantien on November 27th. At night, the Japanese force near Tang-chia-fan reached the vicinity of Huan-tan Chen to confront the Chinese 125th Division.

Since its objective was to break the Japanese force, 5th War Area command directed its forces to keep secure key localities and take advantage of mountainous terrain to to conduct ambushes to stop the invaders. Heavy fighting lasted until the 28th of November when the Japanese retreated. Chinese forces west of the Hsiang River continued their pursuit. The Japanese force in front of the Chinese Right Army Group was routed on the same day, retreating by several routes. Subjected to a converging attack by Chinese forces of the Central Army Group, the Japanese forces facing them in the area of Ho-yuan-tien, and Huan-tan Chen, fell back to high ground in the vicinity of Ho-yuan-tien and Tang-chia-fan and were encircled by the Chinese. The Japanese pulled a further 1,500-1600 infantry and cavalry from Sui Hsien and Ying-shan via Shang-shih-tien and Sha-tien for a turning movement against the Chinese to retreive the situation. Once again, the Japanese were ambushed. Under cover of airplanes and armour, the Japanese retreated toward Sui Hsien and Hsi-ho, as Chinese forces attacked along the line from Chun-chuan to Anchu, Lishan, and Kao-cheng. On November 30th,. the Chinese Army Groups recovered their original positions.

Results
The Japanese operation resulted in the death of over 5,000 and the wounding of 7.000 - 8,000 Japanese, over 1,000 bodies being left in the feild according to the Chinese source. The Japanese had hoped to have a victory at the time of the establishment of the Wang Ching-wei regime so as to dampen Chinese morale. The effect was the opposite of what was hoped.

Sources:
[1] 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. 339-342.
Map 22.

[Jerry Asher]

Well done Asiaticus;

a much improved narrative from Hsu.
Jerry Asher