Almost six months have passed since the start of the war,
and the Japanese behemoth had proved to be almost unstoppable across the Pacific. Last week,
we saw them complete their invasion of Burma, another victory in a long string of triumphs;
yet we also saw there a huge participation by one of the most forgotten allies of World War Two:
Nationalist China. Today, we are going to see war resume in the Chinese mainland as the Japanese
prepare for a new offensive in retaliation for their participation in the Doolittle Raid.
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Since the outbreak of war with the Empire of Japan in 1937, the Chinese defenders had proved
to be a resilient and fierce foe, one that had continued to resist even when the prospects of
outside assistance seemed hopeless. In the past, both China and Japan had been looked down? upon
by their Western “allies”, something that gave rise to the same Japanese anti-Western sentiment
that ignited the Pacific War. Now, Chiang Kai-Shek had the perfect opportunity to be
treated as an equal by the Allies, yet the price he would pay for this would be heavy.
The road was long for the Chinese in their efforts to get recognized as the valuable and
important ally that they were, but already their contributions to the Burma Campaign
and the Doolittle Raid had a tremendous significance for the future of the Pacific War,
both allowing the Burma Army to survive to fight another day and allowing the US to carry out one
of the most important raids of the war, a huge morale booster that put the Japanese Empire
in a course towards their eventual defeat. The aftermath of this last event, however,
would also see the start of a Japanese campaign in retaliation against the Chinese inhabitants
that had aided or given shelter to the American pilots after their surprise attack against Tokyo.
As we will recall, fifteen B-25 bombers had crash landed in the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi
due to the bad weather and the failure to warn the Chinese about the incoming landings,
their surviving crews then being rescued by local inhabitants, guerrillas or missionaries.
One of the most important effects of the Doolittle Raid was that it was a shock for
the Japanese commanders, who didn’t believe the Allies had the capacity to launch such an assault.
With their failure to correctly protect the Emperor, many resources would then be redirected
for the defense of the home islands and steps would be taken to prevent a similar attack in the
future . As such, the Chinese airports in Zhejiang and Jiangxi were revealed as a dangerous blind
spot in the defense of the homeland, from where American aircraft could directly attack Japan.
A campaign was thus ordered to eliminate China as a bombing staging area,
one in which the merciless Japanese soldiers would take the opportunity to also hunt for the bomber
crews with the vengeful purpose of punishing them and those who had aided them. Back in early April,
the Chinese 23rd and 32nd Army Groups had managed to infiltrate into the Xuancheng-Guangde area
after pushing back the 13th Army of Lieutenant-General Sawada Shigeru. In response,
the Japanese were preparing to recapture this territory with a pincer movement by April 20,
but the new orders from Tokyo forced them to change the aim of their operation
towards the destruction of the Chinese air bases in Zhejiang province.
The main objectives of Operation Sei-go were the airfields in the Lishui, Quzhou and Yushan areas,
as well as the city of Shangrao , the headquarters of the 3rd War Area of General Gu Zhutong.
For the operation, Sawada would receive some reinforcements from the North China Area Army and
the 11th Army , thus gathering some 5 divisions and 3 mixed brigades for a total of 53 infantry
battalions to be employed in the offensive. Meanwhile, the 11th Army of General Anami, after
routing the 128th Division on May 5 and launching a diversionary attack into the Yueyang area,
would finally attack the western flank of Gu’s command to eliminate Chinese power in Jiangxi
and stop any reinforcements that could be rushed to relieve the defenders.
The Japanese would further be supported by the 1st Air Brigade, reinforced with
two bomber regiments , which had the mission to destroy the enemy airfields and their aircraft,
particularly in the town of Chuchow . By May 13, Sawada had concentrated his forces in the
Yuhang-Fenghua line, with the 32nd Division coming in late at the right flank of the 13th Army.
Two days later, the Japanese would decide to commence their initial offensive,
directly advancing to destroy the Chinese fortified positions of Yiwu , Paitouzhen
and Changlezhen , while the 116th Division advanced along the Fuchun River with the 32nd
Division slowly coming in behind them. On May 18, the first clash with the Chinese forces occurred
as the 22nd Division assaulted the fortified position of the New 9th Army east of Changlezhen.
The defenders tried to stop the Japanese advance with tenacity, but on the next day,
the 70th Division and the Kono Mixed Brigade would arrive on the battlefield and would attack
the flanks of the New 9th Army, thus forcing the Chinese forces to retreat in disarray.
At the same time, the 15th Division also overcame a detachment of the 9th at Paitouzhen,
leaving the way completely open for Yiwu. Attacks against the city by the various divisions began
immediately, and by May 22, the Japanese had consolidated their control over the sector east
of Jinhua . Now, Sawada decided to shift his efforts towards the right flank of the army,
where the 116th and 32nd Divisions were advancing into the area south of Jiande . They were to be
supported by the 15th Division, which after taking Paitouzhen had turned west towards Lanxi . By the
night of May 24, the 15th was ready to attack Lanxi, defended by elements of the 26th Army,
while the 70th Division had gotten in front of Jinhua and the 22nd Division was in the
vicinity of Wuyi . Although the attack on Lanxi was successful, the 70th didn’t fare that well
against the strong opposition of the 74th Army, which forced it to request reinforcements to
overcome the stalwart Chinese defenders. At this point, however, Chinese forces elsewhere
were retreating without the intention of making any major resistance, so the Japanese started
to hotly pursue them. Gu Zhutong’s plan was to slowly draw in the invaders into the Quzhou area,
where they would be encircled and annihilated in a decisive battle. Yet Sawada’s advance was in such
strength and speed that the Chinese forces could hardly establish any organized defensive position.
By the end of May , Lanxi and Jinhua had fallen, and by June 3, four divisions and
the Kono Mixed Brigade had assembled in front of Quzhou to launch a coordinated assault.
In the meantime, the 11th Army’s task force had concentrated behind the Ganjang River by May 27,
then moving to the Wugui Mountain area in preparation for the launch of the operation.
At dusk on May 31, Anami ordered his forces to ford the Fuhe River, repelling the meager
defenses of the overwhelmed 100th Army and forcing it to retreat to some better defensive positions
at the town of Jinxian . Immediately sensing the danger of the situation, General Xue Yue of the
9th War Area sent the 79th Army along the Ganjang River to stop the Japanese advance and relieve
some pressure from his compatriots. But by June 3, the 34th Division had managed to overcome Chinese
opposition at Jinxian and the 3rd Division had advanced as far as Yunshanzhen . Anami
then sent forward the Iwanaga Detachment along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi railway while the 34th Division
was redirected to support the Takehara Detachment in its efforts to stop and destroy the 79th Army,
which was quickly advancing towards Zhanpingxiang . On June 4, the 3rd Division continued to press
forward and met an advance party of the 79th Army at Linchuan, successfully routing the enemy and
capturing the city. At the same time, the Imai and Ide Detachment engaged rear elements of the
79th Army to the west, managing to tie them down while the 34th Division and the Takehara
Detachment approached to decisively annihilate the defenders. Thus, the escape routes of the
79th Army were severed and the Chinese were now at the mercy of Anami’s forces.
Meanwhile, further east, Sawada was preparing to penetrate the strong enemy positions at Quzhou
from both sides of the town; and on June 3, he finally launched the attack. Despite the
valiant Chinese resistance, the Japanese attack rapidly overwhelmed the defenders,
completing an encirclement of the town by June 4. Yet just when the Japanese were about to score a
decisive victory and destroy the Chinese presence in the region, a heavy downpour of rain started
during the night, swelling the surrounding rivers and making it look like Chinese reinforcements
from the south and southwest were appearing. This lull in the fight allowed the defenders to break
out from the encirclement and successfully escape southwards by June 7. Sawada then left the Kono
Mixed Brigade and the 116th Division to guard Quzhou while the 32nd, 15th and 22nd Divisions
started a pursuit of the fleeing enemy units towards the town of Guangfeng . Although the flood
retarded the progress of the pursuit, the 32nd Division got to seize Yushan and its important
air base by June 12 and the other two divisions captured Guangfeng two days later. From there,
the 22nd Division would then advance on Shangrao, which was occupied by the early hours of June 15.
With the fall of Quzhou and Yushan, Sawada now directed the Kozonoe Kono Mixed Brigade to capture
the last of their objectives: Lishui and its key airfield. On June 16, the Brigade departed Longyou
towards the town of Wuyi, from where the Japanese then advanced on Lishui by June 22.
With the total collapse of the Chinese presence in the region, Lishui was seized
without any kind of opposition on June 24, finally completing all the directives of the operation.
At the same time that this was happening, Anami prepared to deal a deadly blow against the 79th
Army . With the 3rd Division attacking from Linchuan and the 34th Division completing the
encirclement at Chongren, the Japanese constantly hammered the 79th Army until the unit was totally
routed by June 8. From there, the 3rd Division and the Takehara Detachment were sent to pursue
the retreating Chinese soldiers towards the town of Nancheng. On June 11, the last remnants of the
79th Army were engaged by the invaders, completely annihilating them and occupying Nancheng and its
airfield in the following day. By June 15, Jinxi had also fallen to the 3rd Division and Anami was
now in control of the whole region south of the Junshan Lake. Concurrently, the 34th Division
was sent to support the Iwanaga Detachment in its drive across the Zhejiang-Jiangxi railway.
By June 10, the Iwanaga Detachment had gotten to the Baita River , but their advance was stopped
by the presence of the 100th Army at Yingtan . On June 15, when the 34th finally arrived in the
region, the Japanese launched a strong attack that managed to send the Chinese defenders packing.
The following day, the 34th Division occupied Kueichi while the Iwanaga Detachment
continued eastwards to link with the 13th Army. On June 30, Sawada also sent the Yazu Detachment
from the 22nd Division to advance westwards and link with the 11th Army. By July 1, the
Yazu and Iwanaga Detachments met at Hengfeng and eliminated the last remnants of the 100th Army.
This victory brought an end to the Japanese offensive in the Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces,
but Japanese occupation of the recently conquered territories would continue in the following
months. With their objective of reducing Chinese air power complete, the invaders now turned to
hunt for the American pilots that had bailed in the region and to punish those Chinese villages
that had aided them. In the words of Father Wendelin Dunker: “They shot any man, woman, child,
cow, hog, or just about anything that moved. They raped any woman from the ages of 10 to 65, and
before burning the town, they thoroughly looted it”. The city of Nancheng was hit particularly
bad, with Japanese soldiers rounding up some 800 women and girls and herding them into a storehouse
where they would be raped time and again in what American missionaries dubbed the Rape of Nancheng.
But the invaders didn’t only resort to raping and murdering, they were also set on devastating the
land as much as possible. Towns and villages were looted, farm animals were slaughtered, crops were
set on fire, and bridges, roads and airfields were completely destroyed . When the Japanese finally
started its retreat in early August, they left behind nothing more than destruction and chaos.
But it was those that had aided the Doolittle Raiders that would suffer the most, as they would
be subjected to sadistic tortures by the invaders before they met their demise. On one account,
Japanese soldiers in Nancheng forced some Chinese men who had fed the American pilots to eat feces
before lining them up for a “bullet contest” to see how many of them would be killed by a single
bullet. In Chongqing, Chiang was understandably infuriated about the consequences of aiding
his so-called allies, who still continued to undervalue the might of the Chinese defenders.
When the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign was over, Chiang cabled to Washington to remark
that the “Japanese troops slaughtered every man, woman and child in those areas”.
Chinese estimates put the civilian death toll at 250000 people, which is supported by the
tales of American missionaries who witnessed the devastation wrecked by the Japanese soldiers.
Once again, the Japanese Empire had shown to the world that they were ruthless and
merciless invaders, who were indeed capable of treating their fellow human beings as beasts.
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Next week, we finally turn to Midway, where one, if not the most decisive engagement
of the Pacific War was nearing fruition. From this point onwards, nothing would be the same.
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