Guan Linzheng - Second Sino-Japanese War

Second Sino-Japanese War

In 1933. Guan received orders from the nationalist government to help General Song Zheyuan to defend North China against the Imperial Japanese Army led by Field Marshal Nobuyoshi Mutō in the Defense of the Great Wall. He personally led an infantry charge against a Japanese position and was severely wounded in the action, his deputy commander Du Yuming took over command of the division. The nationalist government awarded him the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun after the conclusion of the battle. General Guan's unit stayed in Beijing after this clash as part of the garrison and was post in Luoyang in 1935. In 1936, he led his unit into Shanxi province to help the local warlord Yan Xishan to drive away the communist troops commanded by his former classmate Lin Biao and was successful in his mission.

On October 15, 1936, Guan was promoted to lieutenant general and tasked to block a large Chinese communist force commanded by his former classmate Xu Xiangqian, who had been ordered by the Chinese Communist Party to establish a base in Xinjiang, as part of the communist plan to receive aid from the Soviet Union. General Guan again successfully accomplished his mission and Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek promoted him to commander of the 52nd corps when the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out the next year. Guan led his unit in successive battles against the Japanese Army, which included the Battle of Taierzhuang, Battle of Wuhan, and Battle of Changsha (1939). Because of his personal bravery, he was nicknamed Guan the Brave and the Iron Fist.

In 1938, General Guan was promoted to command the 33rd army, and was promoted to the position of commander-in-chief of 15th army group, becoming the first graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy to command an army group. In 1940, Guan led his unit into Yunnan province, and was put in charge of defend the border between China and Vietnam. However, Guan's relation with General Chen Cheng suffered another setback when he decided to remove Chen Cheng's favorite commander General Huang Wei as commander of the 54th corps because of Huang's alleged corruption. In 1944, General Guan received another promotion as deputy commander-in-chief of the 1st Area Army and was one of the most successful Chinese commanders in the entire war.