Battle of Guilin–Liuzhou

Battle of Guilin-Liuzhou
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II
Date 16 August - 24 November 1944 Location Vicinities of Guilin and Liuzhou, Guangxi Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
National Revolutionary Army, China United States Army Air Forces, United States	11th Army Group, 23rd Army Group, Imperial Japanese Army, Japan
Commanders and leaders
Bai Chongxi, Zhang Fakui, Kan Weiyong†, Chen Jihuan†, Lü Zhanmeng†	Yasuji Okamura, Hisakazu Tanaka
Strength
200,000 troops 217 planes	160,000 troops 150 planes Numerous tanks and armoured cars Naval support from 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet
Casualties and losses
Japanese claim: 5,665 killed 13,151 captured	13,400

The Battle of Guilin–Liuzhou (simplified Chinese: 桂柳会战; traditional Chinese: 桂柳會戰; pinyin: Gùilǐu Huìzhàn), also known as the Battle of Guiliu, was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) and Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

This battle was the third of the three-part Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi, also known as Operation Ichigo. As part of the Operation, a major aim of this attack was to connect the pieces of Japanese-held territory, and also, to destroy airbases in the area which were housing USAAF aircraft.

In August, after battles in Hunan and Guangdong, the 11th and 23rd Armies of the IJA launched attacks towards Guilin and Liuzhou, respectively. The NRA troops defending the area were mainly the remnants from the Battle of Hengyang, and therefore, only 20,000 troops were at Guilin on 1 November when the Japanese started their attack on the city.

The government of China knew that it would not be able to hold Guilin, but deliberately extended the battle for domestic political reasons, sending food and supplies to the besieged. Most civilians fled weeks before from Guilin, which was scorched heavily by fire. Guilin had been reinforced with defences, pillboxes, barbed wire, and the Guangxi troops under the command of Muslim General Bai Chongxi. General Joseph Stillwell, who was friendly with Bai, went to great pains to send American munitions to Bai's forces. Trenches were dug amind the hills.

After 10 days of intense fighting, the Japanese occupied Guilin, and on the same day entered Liuzhou as well. Fighting continued sporadically as Chinese forces made their rapid retreat, and on 24 November the Japanese were in control of 75 counties in Guangxi, roughly 2/3 its area, and are said to have killed 215,000 civilians in reprisal and during crossfire, wounding more than 431,000.

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