1939–1940 Winter Offensive

{{Short description|Military offensive of the Second Sino-Japanese War}} {{Multiple issues| {{More footnotes needed|date=August 2010}} {{Cleanup|date=January 2026|reason=its language, e.g. many words translated from Chinese are used ambiguously.}} }} {{Infobox military conflict | conflict = 1939–1940 Winter Offensive | partof = Second Sino-Japanese War | date = {{Date range and age in years, months, weeks and days|df=y|1939|11|26|1940|4|3}} | place = Vicinities of Anhui, Guangdong, Hubei, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Shandong and Suiyuan in the Republic of China | result = Japanese victory | combatant1 = {{flag|Republic of China (1912–1949)|name=Republic of China}} | combatant2 = {{flag|Empire of Japan}} *{{flagicon image|Flag of the Mengjiang.svg|25px}} Mengjiang | commander1 = {{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} Wei Lihuang {{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} Gu Zhutong {{flagicon|Republic of China|army}} Li Zongren {{flagicon|Republic of China|army}} Xue Yue {{flagicon|Republic of China|army}} Bai Chongxi {{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} Zhang Fakui {{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} Fu Zuoyi {{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} Ma Hongkui | commander2 = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} Toshizō Nishio {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} Hayao Tada {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} Yasuji Okamura {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} Rikichi Andō {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} Naozaburo Okabe | strength1 = 1,480,353 including Chinese Muslim Cavalry in 122 divisions<ref>{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (一)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局| pages=28–29}}</ref> | strength2 = 850,000 including Mengjiang Cavalry | casualties1 = '''Chinese claims''' Main Operations:{{efn|Includes losses of the * Second, Third, Fifth, and Ninth (including the Sixth) Military Fronts from December 1939 until January 1940 * Fourth Military Front in the {{interlanguage link|first battle of Northern Guangdong|zh|粵北會戰}} from 17 December 1939 until 10 January 1940 and battle of South Guangxi from 15 November 1939 until 26 February 1940}}{{efn|<ref>{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (二)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局| pages=66–67}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (三)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局| pages=148–149}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (四)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局| pages=268–269}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (五)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局| pages=302–303}}</ref><ref name="抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢六">{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (六)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局| pages=388–389}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 桂南會戰(一)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局|date=1981| pages=20–21}}</ref>}} *64,432 killed *79,310 wounded *17,812 missing *12,013 unspecified casualties Supporting Operations: Late November 1939 to the end of January 1940{{efn|Losses of the First, Eighth, Shandong-Jiangsu, and Hebei-Chahar Military Fronts in guerilla operations (including 1,591 casualties from the Eighth Route Army)}}{{efn|<ref>{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (六)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局| pages=398–399}}</ref><ref name="renamed_from_7_on_20260326082344">{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (七)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局}}</ref>{{rp|p=426–427}}{{rp|p=482–483}}{{rp|p=494–495}}}} *866 killed *1,281 wounded *554 missing *5,998 unspecified casualties February and March 1940{{efn|Eighth Military Front in the battle of West Suiyuan and battle of Wuyuan}}{{efn|<ref name="renamed_from_7_on_20260326082344"/>{{rp|p=455}}{{rp|p=465}}}} *4,815 killed or wounded *2,404 missing '''Japanese claims''' December 1939 to January 1940<ref name="JACAR">{{cite web|title=１．月別彼我人員損害對照表 |url=https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/listPhoto?LANG=default&BID=F2011112915294397142&ID=M2011112915294397146&REFCODE=C11110494300 |website=Japan Center for Asian Historical Records| access-date=2025-03-12}}</ref> *150,144 killed *8,090 captured | casualties2 = '''Chinese claims''' *More than 20,000 killed *9 transport ships damaged or sunk *11 pieces of assorted artillery captured *~400 captured '''Japanese claims''' December 1939 to January 1940<ref name="JACAR"/> *7,406 deaths **6,556 combat deaths *29,730 wounded | notes = {{notelist}} }}

{{Campaignbox Second Sino-Japanese War}} {{Japanese colonial campaigns}} thumb|Chinese War Areas during Sino-Japanese War The '''1939–1940 Winter Offensive''' ({{lang-zh|t=冬季攻勢}}) was a major engagement between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It constitutes the first major counter-offensive on multiple fronts of Chinese forces in the war. Although it failed to achieve its original objectives, later studies{{Which|date=January 2026|reason=And by whom? Clarify in the body of the article first.}} have shown that it came as a blow to the Japanese forces. The Japanese military command had not expected the Chinese to be able to launch an offensive operation at such a large scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=（抗日战争）冬季攻势述评 |url=http://www.chinamil.com.cn/site1/historymil/2004-10/29/content_1143438.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707014518/http://www.chinamil.com.cn/site1/historymil/2004-10/29/content_1143438.htm |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=February 20, 2024 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

By April 1940, the Japanese army had successfully fought the operation to a halt. However, a Japanese counter-offensive to seize Ningxia failed and was defeated in Suiyuan by Chinese Muslim forces.

==Background and strategic situation== The Chinese had repulsed two Japanese offensives in the summer at the Battle of Suixian-Zaoyang and in fall at the 1st Battle of Changsha. They believed that the Japanese forces were now too dissipated to take and hold new territory and would not be able to launch large offensives unless they received more reinforcements. However, by defending interior lines and with control of the lines of communication, they could still shift forces and launch local offensives to damage Chinese forces or mop up guerrillas in the rear areas. Additionally, during 1939, the Japanese were replacing many of their large four-regiment square Divisions with the smaller three regiment triangular Divisions and weak Independent Mixed Brigades. This weakening of forces encouraged the Chinese to plan a large offensive to exploit that fact.

==Chinese plan== The Chinese objective in the offensive was to take the initiative by conducting multiple-front attacks to tie down Japanese forces. They intended to use their position of exterior lines to advantage to prevent the Japanese from launching new local offensives or shifting their forces to concentrate for a large offensive. The main effort was to be by the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 9th War Areas, located on the more northeastern side of China, closest to Japan, which received all newly trained and reorganized units. Secondary efforts in support of the main efforts or as diversions were to be conducted by 1st, 4th, 8th, Shandong-Jiangsu and Hebei-Chahar War Areas, further south or west from Japan, with their existing units.<ref name=":0" />

== Northern China == Long-hsuen's "History of The Sino-Japanese War" then ends the narrative of the operation{{Clarify|reason=What does this mean?|date=January 2026}} with the mention that supply difficulties greatly affected operations because of Communist raids in their rear area and instigation of revolts, which seized food and forbade it to be sold to the government forces. Despite this, the 40th Corps and 27th Corps accomplished their aim of pinning down the Japanese in the Zhangzi and Changzhi area. However, in southwestern Shanxi, the main effort of 2nd War Area and of the whole North China offensive failed to seize the major towns on the railroad or Japanese strongpoints that were their objectives or to cut the Tongpu railway, except for the area between Wenxi and Anyi. At the end of the campaign, the 2nd War Area claimed that 13,770 Japanese killed or wounded. The 1st War Area reported that 5,130 Japanese killed, and seems to have accomplished its mission of tying down Japanese troops in its area of operations. The 8th War Area, after a see-saw campaign, had succeeded in rolling the Japanese back to Baotou in the Battle of Wuyuan. Guerrilla forces in the Hebei-Chahar and Shandong-Jiangsu War Area carried out attacks but apparently without decisive results, and in the Shandong peninsula they received a serious counterattack.

In 1937, the Chinese government picked up intelligence that the Japanese planned to install a puppet Hui Muslim regime around Suiyuan and Ningxia, and had sent agents to the region.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rsLQdBUgyMUC&q=ma+hongkui+japanese+abolish+prince&pg=PA65|title=Modern China's Ethnic Frontiers: A Journey to the West|author1-link=Lin Hsiao-ting|author=Hsiao-ting Lin|year=2010|publisher=Taylor & Francis|edition=illustrated|isbn=978-0-415-58264-3|page=55|volume=67 of Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia|access-date=2010-06-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foATAAAAIAAJ&q=Mohammedan|title=The China monthly review, Volumes 80-81|year=1937|publisher=J.W. Powell|page=320|access-date=2011-06-06}}</ref> The ''Middlesboro Daily News'' ran an article by Owen Lattimore which reported on Japan's planned offensive into the Muslim region in 1938, which predicted that the Japanese would suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of the Muslims.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=64VCAAAAIBAJ&pg=2996,3679068&dq=chinese%20japanese%20moslem&hl=en|title=Middlesboro Daily News - Google News Archive Search|access-date=16 October 2016}}</ref>

The Japanese planned to invade Ningxia from Suiyuan in 1939 and create a Hui Muslim puppet state. The next year, however, the Japanese were defeated by the Kuomintang Muslim Gen. Ma Hongbin, causing the plan to collapse. His Hui Muslim troops launched further attacks against Japan in the Battle of West Suiyuan.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mpqApZWrJyIC&q=suiyuan|title=Frontier passages: ethnopolitics and the rise of Chinese communism, 1921-1945|author=Xiaoyuan Liu|year=2004|publisher=Stanford University Press|edition=illustrated|page=131|isbn=0-8047-4960-4|access-date=2010-06-28}}</ref>

In Suiyuan, 300 Mongol collaborators serving the Japanese were fought off by a single Muslim who held the rank of major at the Battle of Wulan Obo in April.<ref>{{cite book|title=China Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eM44AQAAIAAJ&q=noted+bravery+engagement+April|year=1940|page=18}}</ref>

Muslim Generals Ma Hongkui and Ma Hongbin defended west Suiyuan, especially in Wuyuan, in 1940. Ma Hongbin commanded the 81st Corps, which suffered heavy casualties, but they eventually repulsed the Japanese and defeated them.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bk3VAAAAMAAJ&q=Ma-Hung-kwei|title=The China monthly, Volumes 3-5|editor=George Barry O'Toole, Jên-yü Tsʻai|year=1941|publisher=The China monthly incorporated.|access-date=2010-06-28}}(Original from the University of Michigan)</ref>

Japan made heavy use of chemical weapons against China to make up for lack of numbers in combat and because China did not have any poison gas stockpiles of its own to retaliate.<ref>{{Citation|last=Grunden|first=Walter E.|chapter=No Retaliation in Kind: Japanese Chemical Warfare Policy in World War II|date=2017|title=One Hundred Years of Chemical Warfare: Research, Deployment, Consequences|pages=259–271|editor-last=Friedrich|editor-first=Bretislav|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-51664-6_14|isbn=978-3-319-51663-9|s2cid=158528688 |editor2-last=Hoffmann|editor2-first=Dieter|editor3-last=Renn|editor3-first=Jürgen|editor4-last=Schmaltz|editor4-first=Florian|doi-access=free}}</ref> Japan also used poison gas against Chinese Muslim armies at the Battle of Wuyuan and the Battle of West Suiyuan.

== Central China == River North Army accomplished little and was driven back behind the river by December 23, freeing up units of the Japanese 13th Division for use elsewhere. The Japanese held Right Flank Army in the Zhongxiang area far from the planned stop line from Xinshi to Songhe and Pingba. The Japanese contained Left Flank Army or (River East Army) far from its final objectives. Southern Honan Army did attack the enemy 3rd Division in the area north of Yingshan and Xishuanghe and send a strong force to cut enemy lines of communications in the area of Guangshui and Xinyang. Its main force was to attack in the area of Xinyang and occupy it. Neither of these objectives was achieved despite the commitment of the 31st Army Group. Eastern Hupei Guerrilla force did not advance to the enemy rear areas at Guangshui, Huayuan and Hankow to check enemy movement along the railroad. They never got near those objectives, leaving the Japanese free to move troops along the rails to meet other attacks.

One of the main objectives that the Chinese managed to retake was the city of Kaifeng. After two weeks of fighting, they managed to liberate the city on December 16th, capturing a good amount of Japanese equipment. Soon after, however, they were pushed out of the city again.

According to the history of the 65th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese 13th Division, the number of combat deaths for the regiment in the Winter Offensive was as high as 303.<ref>星半三郎編，《若松聯隊回想錄》，1977年，會津若松市：若松聯隊記念事業實行委員會，p174-176。</ref> The regiment also received 1,558 soldiers from early February until early April 1940 to supplement previous losses.

== Guangdong == After routing the Japanese force coming from Longxian on January 1, the 54th Corps recaptured that town on the 2nd. Guandu fell on the 4th and Qingtang on January 5. The Japanese retreated to Shatian{{clarify|date=November 2023}} while 54th Corps advanced southwest to Shijiao. On January 3 the 2nd Provisional Corps laid siege to Yingde and took it on the 5th. It then continued to advance to Lianjiangkou while Japanese remnants fled southwest and took Qingcheng on the north bank of the Lian River, linking up with Japanese forces across the river to the south. Subsequently, portions of 64th Corps and 2nd Provisional Corps recovered Qingcheng on January 10. Across the river the next day 14th Division of 54th Corps recovered Pajiangkou and to the east Conghua fell to the detachment of 35th Army Group. Yuantan along the Guangzhou–Hankou railway fell the following day. Yinzhan'ao fell on January 16.

The main force of 35th Army Group moved along the west bank of the Bei River near Zhaoqing, and 54th Corps and a portion of 12th Army Group moved to take up positions at Hengshi, Liangkou,{{clarify|date=November 2023}} Lutian and Meikang{{clarify|date=November 2023}}. The 4th War Area reported more than 10,300 enemy killed, 100 rifles and large amount of supplies captured. The Chinese Army suffered 6,564 killed, 4,595 wounded, and 2,828 missing in the First Battle of Northern Guangdong from December 17, 1939, to January 10, 1940, and claimed to have captured 1 Japanese officer and 1 Japanese soldier.<ref name="抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢六">{{cite book |title= 抗日戰史: 二十八年冬季攻勢 (六)| publisher=國防部史政編譯局| pages=388–389}}</ref> The Japanese 21st Army suffered 293 killed and 1,281 wounded in the Wengyuan-Yingde operation from the middle to the end of December 1939 and claimed to have killed 16,312 and captured 1,196 Chinese troops.<ref>{{cite book |title=戦史叢書第090巻: 支那事変陸軍作戦（3）昭和十六年十二月まで |trans-title=Senshi Sōsho Volume 90: Army Operations in China Incident (part 3) Until December 1941 |date=1975 |publisher=Asagumo Shimbunsha | page=83}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=１．翁英作戦経過概要図（自昭和１４年１２月中旬至１２月３１日） |url=https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/listPhoto?LANG=default&BID=F2013032114080044981&ID=M2013032114080044984&REFCODE=C13031755100 |website=Japan Center for Asian Historical Records| access-date=2026-01-19}}</ref> According to each participating Japanese units' battle report, the 18th Division (excluding the 56th Infantry Regiment) suffered 62 killed, 162 wounded, and 1 missing in the Wengyuan-Yingde operation from December 14, 1939, to January 10, 1940.<ref>{{cite web|title=附表第１死傷表 |url=https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/listPhoto?LANG=default&BID=F2013032114080445058&ID=M2013032114080545069&REFCODE=C13031763600 |website=Japan Center for Asian Historical Records| access-date=2026-01-19}}</ref> The 56th Infantry Regiment of the 18th Division suffered 3 killed and 1 wounded in the operation from December 23 to December 31, 1939.<ref>{{cite web|title=翁英作戦戦闘詳報昭和１４年自１２月２３日至１２月３１日附表第１～３死傷表、鹵獲表、兵器損耗表 |url=https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/listPhoto?LANG=default&BID=F2013032114081845284&ID=M2013032114081845287&REFCODE=C13031785400 |website=Japan Center for Asian Historical Records| access-date=2026-01-19}}</ref> The 104th Division suffered 302 killed and 735 wounded in the operation from November 20, 1939, to January 13, 1940.<ref>{{cite web|title=１４．翁英作戦／第１期 |url=https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/listPhoto?LANG=default&BID=F2013032114080945135&ID=M2013032114081045151&REFCODE=C13031771800 |website=Japan Center for Asian Historical Records| access-date=2026-01-19}}</ref> The Guards Mixed Brigade suffered 106 killed, 221 wounded, and 20 missing in the operation from December 16, 1939, to January 4, 1940.<ref>{{cite web|title=附表第４人馬戦死傷一覧表 |url=https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/listPhoto?LANG=default&BID=F2013032114092246323&ID=M2013032114092446349&REFCODE=C13031891600 |website=Japan Center for Asian Historical Records| access-date=2026-01-19}}</ref>

However, with the restricted frontage, and reinforcements sent from Central China the Japanese were able to shift forces to relieve their forces in South Guangxi.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|last=Long-hsuen|first=Hsu|others=Chang Ming-kai|title=History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945)|editor=Wen Ha-hsiung |publisher=Chung Wu Publishing|location=Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China|year=1971|edition=2}}</ref><ref name="Map 1">{{cite web|url=http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft6v19p16j&chunk.id=d0e2216&doc.view=print|title=Resistance and Revolution in China|last=Kataoka|first=Tetsuya|publisher=University of California Press|access-date=17 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uglychinese.org/war.htm#Ichigo|title=1939–40 Winter Campaign|access-date=17 March 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080819145346/http://uglychinese.org/war.htm| archive-date=August 19, 2008| url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/china/|title=Topographic Maps of China during the Second World War|year=1954|work=Series L500|publisher=U.S. Army Map Service|access-date=17 March 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100311193011/http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/china/| archive-date= 11 March 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==References==

==External links== * [http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=101&t=94112&start=135#p908285 Upper half of Map 19 showing the Winter offensive 1939-1940 in North China. Map 19, from Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) 2nd Ed. ,1971. ] * [http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=101&t=94112&start=135#p908290 Lower half of map 19 showing the Winter offensive 1939-1940 in Central and South China from Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) 2nd Ed. ,1971.]

{{DEFAULTSORT:1939-1940 Winter Offensive}} Winter Offensive Winter Offensive Category:Battles involving Mengjiang 1939-40 Winter Offensive Category:1939 in China Category:1940 in China Category:1939 in Japan Category:1940 in Japan