Defense of Hengyang - Background

Background

After Changsha fell on the 18th of June 1944, Japanese general Isamu Yokoyama's 11th army continued its drive southwards. Yokoyama's plans were to capture Hengyang and Guilin to launch an attack on Liuzhou, thus completing Operation Ichi-go. However, he did not expect his approach on Hengyang to turn out to be such a humiliation to the Japanese empire. The attack on Hengyang would turn out to be the costliest encounter for the Japanese army in the whole course of Operation Ichi-go.

On the 6th of June 1944, the allied forces launched the greatest amphibious offensive of World War 2. The battle of Normandy was won. As the allied armies fought their way towards Berlin, the world turned to watch the war in Europe with excitement as they waited for the victory in Europe to come. Nobody was concerned about what was going on in China, just as a huge, bloody battle in Hunan broke out. However, for the Chinese people, this was a very important battle. This was because, since Changsha was lost, Hengyang had to be held at all costs, because if it was lost, then the Japanese army could cross into Guilin, drive west towards Guizhou, and from there directly attack Chongqing, thus threatening the Chinese wartime capital and military headquarters.

On the 15th of June, Chinese supreme commander Chiang Kai-shek relocated 15 elite divisions to support General Stilwell's forces in Burma. As a result, the forces in Hunan and Guangxi were very thin. On the other hand, the Japanese operation involved more troops than any other battle since the war's start. General Yokoyama deployed 400,000 soldiers in 150 units for this offensive, making it clear that he wanted more than just Changsha.

In mid-1944, the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was approaching its 8th year. Although the Chinese army did have access to American lend-lease weapons, this was severely restricted. Most of this equipment was still in India, held up by General Stilwell for his forces in Burma. During the siege of Hengyang, the only thing Stilwell did inside China was the destruction of Guilin's airfield and removal of its outer bridge on the 21st of June, ignoring the spirit and morale of the Chinese people and giving up Guilin early on. However, during this time, the Chinese army staged a tenacious resistance against the invading Japanese army. Completely outnumbered and outgunned and with supplies almost used up, the Chinese soldiers were at the brink of complete disaster. But in spite of these extremely grim conditions, they continued to carry on the fight. This was the Defense of Hengyang.