Battle of Changsha (1944)

Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II

Chinese Army in the battle

Date	May 1944 - August 1944
Location	Changsha and Hengyang
Result	Japanese victory

Belligerents

National Revolutionary Army

Imperial Japanese Army

Commanders and leaders

Xue Yue,

Fang Xianjue

Isamu Yokoyama,

Yasuji Okamura

Strength

300,000 troops in eight army groups

360,000 troops of the 11th Army

Casualties and losses

90,000 (17,000 in Hengyang)

66,000 (Japanese claim: 19,000 in Hengyang)

The Battle of Changsha (1944) (also known as the Battle of Hengyang or Campaign of Changsha-Hengyang) was an invasion of the Chinese province of Hunan by Japanese troops near the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. As such, it encompasses three separate conflicts: an invasion of the city of Changsha and two invasions of Hengyang.

The Japanese military transferred the bulk of their troops from the Japanese homeland and Manchuria as part of Operation "Ichi-Go" or "Tairiku Datsu Sakusen" which roughly translates as 'Operation to Break through the Continent'. This was an attempt to establish a land and rail corridor from the Japanese occupied territories of Manchuria, Northern and Central China and Korea and those in South East Asia.

In June 1944, the Japanese deployed 360,000 troops to attack Changsha for the fourth time (the first being in 1939). The operation involved more Japanese troops than any other campaign in the Second Sino-Japanese war.

Changsha is the capital city of Hunan province and an important junction of two railroads in southern China: the tri-province railroad of Hunan-Guizhou-Guangxi and the one from Canton to Wuhan. Hengyang is also on the tri-province railroad and very close to the Canton-Wuhan Railroad. Furthermore, Lake Dongting and the cities of Changsha, Hengyang, and Lingling, are connected by the Xiang River. It was imperative for both sides to control the suburban areas of Changsha and Hengyang.

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