World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseDong Zhao was born in Shaanxi Province, China. In 1924, he was enrolled in the Whampoa Military Academy, Guangzhou Province, China. Later in the same year, he joined the Nationalist Party. During the 1920s and the 1930s, he played a dual role as a military officer as well as a party functionary. In Feb 1931, he served as a party liaison with the 48th Division. In Apr 1932, he was named the chief of staff of the 28th Division at the rank of major general. In 1936, he took command of the 28th Division, in which role he saw combat with communist forces. In 1937, he established his divisional headquarters in the city of Xi'an, where he was placed in charge of the overall defense of the city. He first saw major action during WW2 in Apr 1938 where he, still at the helm of the 28th Division, defended against Japanese attempts to cross the Yellow River, and then marched toward Jiangsu Province, engaging Japanese troops aiming to capturing Xuzhou. After the fall of Xuzhou, he led the 28th Division in retreat, reaching Hankou in Aug 1938. In the same month, he was named the commanding officer of the 16th Corps, while still holding personal command of the 28th Division, in defense of the city of Wuhan. In Nov 1938, he was transferred back to his home province of Shaanxi; in this role he oversaw the campaign against Japanese westward assaults in 1940 and 1941. In Jun 1942, he was named the deputy commanding officer of the 34th Army. Between late 1942 and 1944, he played a minor role in the war as he was relegated due to political reasons. In Aug 1943, he was named the Deputy Commander of the Border Region of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Suiyuan under General Deng Baoshan. In Oct 1944, he studied at the Army War College, completing his course in Jan 1945. Later that month, Dong was named the commanding officer of the 38th Army. In Mar, he moved his headquarters to Luonan, Shaanxi, where he coordinated defenses against what would become the final Japanese series of offensives in that province. In Jun 1945, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. After the war, his 38th Army was reorganized as the 1st Corps, and he retained command. During the Chinese Civil War, he was repeatedly defeated by communist forces, thus in Apr 1948 he was assigned to the rear and was placed in charge of conscription, training, and logistics. In Jul 1948, he was named the Chairman of the Shaanxi Province. In May 1949, he evacuated his provincial government from Xi'an to Hanzhong as communist forces neared. Although he intended on a final stand at Hanzhong, he failed to rally his subordinates, many of whom began to flee without orders. Seeing the impossibility of holding Hanzhong, he began planning the evacuation of his own family to Taiwan. On 5 Dec, he fled for Chongqing, where he would leave for Taiwan four days later. He passed away in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China in 1977.

Dong Zhao Timeline