Battle of Central Henan

Battle of Central Henan
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II
Date 17 April – 25 May 1944 Location Henan Province Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
Republic of China National Revolutionary Army	Japan Imperial Japanese Army
Commanders and leaders
General Tang Enbo	Lt. General Eitaro Uchiyama
Strength
390,000	140,000

The Battle of Central Henan, was the first offensive in the Japanese Operation Ichi-Go during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

In the Battle of Central Henan, 390,000 Chinese soldiers, led by General Tang Enbo (汤恩伯), were deployed to defend the strategic position of Luoyang. The 12th Army spearheaded by the 3rd Tank Division of the IJA crossed the Yellow River around Zhengzhou in late April and defeated Chinese forces near Xuchang, then swung around clockwise and besieged Luoyang. Luoyang was defended by three Chinese divisions. The 3rd Tank Division began to attack Luoyang on May 13 and took it on May 25.

Order of Battle: Battle of Central Henan

Sources

• Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China.
• 中国抗日战争正面战场作战记 (China's Anti-Japanese War Combat Operations)
  • Guo Rugui, editor-in-chief Huang Yuzhang
  • Jiangsu People's Publishing House
  • Date published : 2005-7-1
  • ISBN 7-214-03034-9
  • Online in Chinese: http://www.wehoo.net/book/wlwh/a30012/A0170.htm
• 抗日战争时期的侵华日军序列沿革 (Order of battle of the Japanese army that invaded China during the Sino Japanese War) April 16, 2008
• Generals from Japan
• Topo Maps covering the area of the battle:
  • Lo-Yang ni49-7
  • Cheng Hsien ni49-8
  • Kaifeng ni50-5
  • Hsiang-Cheng ni49-12
  • Huai Yang ni50-9
  • Tsao-Yang ni49-16
  • Hsin-Yang ni50-13

Further reading

• Sherry, Mark D.. China Defensive. The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II. United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 72-38. http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/72-38/72-38.HTM.