World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseWith 120,000 soldiers organized in four divisions, the Japanese attempted a third attack on the Chinese city of Changsha. 300,000 men defended the city under the command of General Xue Yue who had previously evacuated all but 160 civilians from the city. On 27 Dec 1941, the Japanese 3rd, 6th, and 40th Divisions attacked from Yueyang, northeast of Changsha. As the Japanese crossed the Luoyang River, they realized they marched into a Chinese three division-strong ambush. The Chinese disrupted the Japanese plans and then retreated into the mountains to the east of the city. The Japanese reached Changsha on 31 Dec, attacking the southeastern edge of the city on the same day, but failed to breach Chinese defenses. Also on 31 Dec, the northern defenses were subjected to a heavy bombardment and the first line of defense was crushed, but the second line toward the center of the city held back Japanese attacks. The Chinese launched a counterattack on 1 Jan 1942, coordinating artillery pieces in Changsha with the three divisions that had retreated into the eastern mountains several days earlier. By 4 Jan, the Japanese attack force was on the verge of collapse, while the reserve 9th Independent Brigade at Yueyang was tied down by a Chinese attack. As the Japanese began to retreat across the Luoyang River on 9 Jan 1942, they were ambushed once again at the same location, suffering more casualties. The Japanese withdrawl completed on 15 Jan.

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Third Battle of Changsha Timeline