Battle of Changde

Battle of Changde (November 2-December 20, 1943) The Battle of Changde was a key battle of the Anti-Japanese War. The Chinese army fought to the death with the Japanese army in Changde, Hunan, and won a strategic victory at a tragic cost. It was known as the "Battle of Stalingrad in the East." Background: In 1943, the Japanese army was defeated in the Pacific battlefield. In order to contain the Chinese army from aiding Yunnan and Burma and cutting off the supply lines of Chongqing, they attacked Changde, the gateway to northwestern Hunan (which controlled the Yuanli River Basin, threatened Chongqing, and could plunder the granary). Deployment: The 100,000-strong Japanese 11th Army (Yokoyama Isamu) is divided into three lines, equipped with aircraft and poison gas; the 210,000-strong Chinese 6th and 9th Theaters (including the 74th Army) adopt "lure the enemy to go deep and counterattack from outside." After: November 2-21 peripheral blockade battle, the 73rd Army Temporary 5th Division (Peng Shiliang) with 6,000 troops guarding Shimen was almost wiped out, Peng Shiliang died for his country; November 22nd-December 3rd day German city defense battle, the 74th Army 57th Division (Yu Chengwan) 800 0 people fought bloody battles for 16 days and nights, and 83 people were left to break through. Yu Chengwan sent a telegram "All ammunition, no reinforcements, no people, the city is broken." The Japanese army used poison gas and incendiary bombs to kill nearly 300,000 civilians; from December 9 to 20, they counterattacked to recapture Changde, and the Japanese 116th Division suffered more than half of its casualties. Result: China suffered more than 50,000 casualties, and the Japanese suffered about 20,000 casualties (Chinese statistics indicate 46,000). Impact: Smashed the Japanese army's "war to force peace", ensured the security of Chongqing, and restrained the Japanese army from supporting the Allies; Peng Shiliang and others showed their national integrity and built the "Japanese Pirates Tomb" after the war. Evaluation: It is a model of "exchanging space for time". American reporter Epstein exposed the crimes of the Japanese army's use of biological weapons.