Battle of Wuhan- The Turning Point of Sino-Japanese War (Part 5)

by Quin Cho

2nd Army's Offensive Through the Dabie MountainsWhile the 11th Army advanced up the Yangtze River, the 2nd Army concentrated its forces (the 3rd, 10th, 13th, and 16th Infantry Divisions) near Hefei. The initial objectives were the towns of Lu'an and Heshan, with the eventual goal of advancing to the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains (JM 179, 60-61). However, due to the Chinese destroying the roads west of Lu'an, 2nd Army commander Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni adjusted his plans. Instead of advancing to a line stretching from Lu'an-Heshan and concentrating forces in this area, the 2nd Army would advance to the Huangchuan-Shangcheng line further west to control intact roads (JM 179, 61). The Chinese withdrawal of forces to stem the 11th Army's advance along the Yangtze River facilitated the 2nd Army's initial advance.

JM 179, 47, Map 5

Prince Naruhiko ordered the 10th and 13th Infantry Divisions to begin their advance on August 27. These units faced approximately 25,000 men from the Chinese 51st and 77th Armies (under the command of the V War Zone) (Ness and Shih, 36). The 10th and 13th Infantry Divisions saw significant initial success, with the 10th Infantry Division taking Lu'an on August 28 and the 13th Infantry Division taking Heshan on August 29 (JM 179, 60). The 10th Infantry Division proceeded to seize Kushi on September 7 (JM 179, 61). Meanwhile, the 13th Infantry Division made a night crossing of the Shi River but faced significant resistance from several Chinese divisions of the 2nd Army Group (JM 179, 61). To support the 13th Infantry Division, Prince Naruhiko ordered the 10th Infantry Division's Seiya Detachment to reinforce its advance on the town of Changbailing (JM 179, 61). Despite these efforts, the 13th Infantry Division struggled to advance. Consequently, Prince Naruhiko ordered the 16th Infantry Division to advance on Shangcheng from the northern part of the road linking Shangcheng to Yanjiachi to cut off the Chinese line of retreat (JM 179, 61). After crossing the Shi River at Yanjiachi, the 16th Infantry Division outflanked Shangcheng from the north in concert with the 13th Infantry Division, leading to Shangcheng's fall on September 16 (JM 179, 61).

JM 179, 69, Map 9

Following the fall of Shangcheng, Prince Naruhiko ordered the 13th and 16th Infantry Divisions to continue through the Dabie Mountains to Baikou and Songfu (JM 179, 65). Concurrently, the 10th and 3rd Infantry Divisions advanced towards Leshan and Xinyang, the latter being a critical node of the Beijing-Wuhan railway north of Wuhan (JM 179, 65-66). The 3rd and 10th Infantry Divisions made significant advances, with the 10th Infantry Division executing an outflanking maneuver south of Leshan (JM 179, 66). The 3rd Infantry Division reached the Beijing-Wuhan railway north of Xinyang on October 24 (JM 179, 66). An independent unit called the Okada Detachment advanced between these forces, seizing Xinyang on October 12 (JM 179, 66). The seizure of Xinyang and cutting the Beijing-Wuhan railway to the north and south of the city severed Wuhan's northern supply and reinforcement routes, dealing a decisive blow to Chinese defenses and contributing to Wuhan's fall in October 1938.

JM 179, 97, Map 15

Landing at Guangzhou: Wuhan Becomes Superfluous

​The other decisive blow that rendered further defense of Wuhan superfluous was the landing of Japanese forces at Guangzhou. The Japanese 21st Army, comprising the 5th, 18th, and 104th Infantry Divisions, assaulted Chinese positions in Guangdong province in October 1938 (Japanese Monograph 180, 32, Chart 6). The assault began on October 12, with the 18th and 104th Infantry Divisions landing at Aotou and Hachung in Bias Bay, respectively (Macri, 91). Facing little resistance, as most of Yu Hanmou's 12th Army Group divisions had been sent to Tehan for the Wuhan campaign, the 18th Infantry Division quickly established a 10-kilometer-deep beachhead by nightfall (Macri, 92). The Japanese continued their inland advance, capturing Pingshan and Tamshui without opposition on October 13. Between October 16th and 19th, Japanese forces further advanced inland. Finally, on October 21, Japanese tanks entered Guangzhou without infantry support, while a regiment of the 5th Infantry Division seized the forts at Humen in the Bocca Tigris with no resistance (Macri, 92). The capture of Guangdong cut off the Guangzhou-Wuhan Railway and the Hong Kong-Guangzhou Railway, which were critical supply lines for China, reducing Wuhan's strategic value as a supply hub. Consequently, the Chinese abandoned Wuhan, and the Japanese entered the city on October 27, 1938.

Conclusion

The Battle of Wuhan was a prolonged struggle that tested the endurance of both Chinese and Japanese forces. Despite their ultimate success in capturing Wuhan, the Japanese suffered from overextension on their flanks and a lack of strategic purpose, issues that plagued their campaign in China in the ensuing months and years. For the Chinese, the battle marked a transition into a protracted war with a stronger adversary capable of inflicting severe suffering on soldiers and civilians alike. The Battle of Wuhan thus marked the end of the first phase of the Second Sino-Japanese War, as Japan's period of rapid advances in 1937-1938 gave way to a prolonged stalemate starting in 1939. This stalemate taxed Japan's resources to the point where it launched the "Strike South" campaign against the US, UK, and the Dutch in 1941, making World War II in Asia a true clash of global empires.

Works Cited
Frank, Richard B. Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War, July 1937-May 1942. W.W. Norton & Company, 2021. 
Hsu, Long-hsuen, and Ming-kai Chang. History of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Chung Wu Publishing, 1972. 
Macri, Franco David. Clash of Empires in South China: The Allied Nations’ Proxy War with Japan, 1935-1941. University Press of Kansas, 2015. 
Ness, Leland. Kangzhan. Helion and Company, 2016. 
Peattie, Mark. The Battle for China: Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945. Stanford University Press, 2022. 
United States, Congress, Military History Section Headquarters, Army Forces Far East. Central China Area Operations Record, July 1937-May 1941, Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. of the Army. 
United States, Congress, Military History Section Headquarters, Army Forces Far East. South China Area Operations Record, July 1937-May 1941, Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. of the Army. 
Wu, Di. “The Cult of Geography: Chinese Riverine Defence During the Battle of Wuhan, 1937-1938.” War in History, vol. 29, no. 1, 26 Nov. 2020, pp. 185–204, https://doi.org/10.1177/0968344520961548. 

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