Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang

Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang
Part of Second Sino-Japanese War
Japanese troops in the battle of Zaoyang-Yichang.
Date 1 May – 18 June 1940 Location Vicinities of Zaoyang and Yichang, Hubei Result Chinese victory
Belligerents
Republic of China National Revolutionary Army	Empire of Japan Imperial Japanese Army
Commanders and leaders
Li Zongren Zhang Zizhong †	Waichiro Sonobe
Strength
350,000 men	1 Army (Corps)
Casualties and losses
Over 60,000 killed and wounded 81 artillery pieces, 727 automatic weapons, 12,557 rifles captured	2,700 killed 7,800 wounded

 Republic of China

 Empire of Japan

The Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang (simplified Chinese: 枣宜会战; traditional Chinese: 棗宜會戰; pinyin: Zǎoyí Huìzhàn), also known as the Battle of Zaoyi, was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The Japanese were seeking a quicker solution to achieve a Chinese surrender. The Japanese contemplated moving directly down the Yangtze to the relocated Chinese capital, Chongqing. To do so, they would need to capture a critical town in western Hubei province, Yichang.

The Japanese attack did not commit many troops or materiel, which enabled the main Chinese commander, Li Zongren, who had frustrated the Japanese before, to repel the Japanese.

On first May, the Japanese forces began a drive towards Zaoyang. They pushed towards the 5th warzone's strongholds in the Tongbaishan and Dahongshan mountains, attempting to draw the Chinese forces into a battle and destroy them with a pincer movement. The Chinese strategy aimed to let the Japanese forces run low on supplies, and then destroy them.

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