Battle of Taierzhuang

Battle of Tai'erzhuang
Part of the Pacific War and the [[[Second Sino-Japanese War]]
House-to-house fighting in Tai'erzhuang
Date October 1937, evening of 24 March 1938¹ - 7 April 1938 Location Tai'erzhuang Result Chinese victory
Belligerents
China, National Revolutionary Army	Japan, Imperial Japanese Army, Central China Theatre Army
Commanders and leaders
Li Tsung-jen, Han Fuqu†, Pang Bingxun, Sun Lianzhong, Sun Zhen, Tang Enbai, Wang Mingzhang†, Zhang Zizhong	Rensuke Isogai (10th Division), Itagaki Seishiro (5th Division)
Strength
100,000 troops in 10 Divisions	30,000 troops in 2 divisions
Casualties and losses
20,000	16,000

The Battle of Tai'erzhuang (simplified Chinese: 台儿庄会战; traditional Chinese: 臺兒莊會戰; pinyin: Tái'érzhūang Huìzhàn) was a battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938, between armies of Chinese Kuomintang and Japan, and is sometimes considered as a part of Battle of Xuzhou.

Taierzhuang is located on the eastern bank of the Grand Canal of China and was a frontier garrison northeast of Xuzhou. It was also the terminus of a local branch railway from Lincheng. Xuzhou itself was the joint of Jinpu Railway (Tianjin-Pudong) and Longhai Railway (Lanzhou-Lianyungang) and the headquarters of the KMT's 5th War Zone.

The battle involved a Japanese plan to conquer Xuzhou, a major city in the East. However, the Japanese failed to consider the plans of generals Li Tsung-jen and Pai Chung-hsi, who planned to encircle the Japanese in the town of Tai'erzhuang. Overconfidence led the Japanese commanders to overlook as well the thousands of indiscriminate "farmers" in the area, who infiltrated and cut communication lines and supplies, diverted streams, and ruined rail lines. By late March, supplies and fuels were being dropped from airplanes to Japanese troops, but the quantities were insufficient.

On March 29, 1938, a small band of Japanese soldiers tunneled under Tai'erzhuang's walls in an attempt to take the city from within. They were caught by the Chinese defenders and killed. Over the next week, both sides claimed to hold parts of the city and surrounding area, and many were killed in gun and hand grenade battles.

Finally, the Japanese attacked frontally, failing to consider the greater Chinese numbers. A major encirclement on April 6, with Chinese reinforcements, preceded a major Japanese retreat, which the Chinese failed to capitalize upon through pursuit.

Amid the celebrations in Hankow and other Chinese cities, Japan denied and ridiculed the reports of the battle for days. It was reported in the world's newspapers, however, and by mid-April had provoked a Cabinet crisis in Tokyo.

The Chinese scored a major victory, the first of the Nationalist alliance in the war. The battle broke the myth of Japanese military infallibility and resulted in an incalculable benefit to the Chinese morale.

Notes

¹ Assault of Taierzhuang began on March 24 but previous military developments dated back to October.

External links

• Memorial museum of the Battle of Taierzhuang (in Chinese)