Battle of Changsha (September 17, 1939 _ October 6, 1939) was the first attempt by Japan to take the city of China, during the second Sino-Japanese War.

Background and Strategy

The war had already reached a stalemate after only two years of fighting. In early September, Japanese General Toshizo Nishio of the "Japanese Expeditionary Forces to China" and Lieutenant-General Seishiro Itagaki set out to capture Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan. The Japanese 101st and 106th Divisions were deployed on the western bank of the Gan River in northern Jiangxi, and the 5th, 3rd, 13th, and 33rd Divisions marched southward from southern Hubei to northern Hunan.

Altogther, it became obvious that the 100,000 strong Japanese force was to converge on Changsha. The Chinese strategy was to counter the enemy column in northern Jiangxi and then encircle the line on the path southward.

Course of Battle

The Japanese launched the attacks on September 17th, when their forces in northern Jiangxi attacked westerward toward Henan. However, the Japanese stretched too far out westward and were counter-attacked by Chinese forces from the south and the north, forcing the enemy to retreat eastward.

On September 19, the Japanese then proceeded to attack the Chinese along the Sinchiang River. Even though the use of poison gas was prohibited by the Geneva Protocol, the Japanese army nevertheless employed it on Chinese positions. On September 23rd the Japanese drove the Chinese out of the Sinchiang river area, and the 6th and 13th Divisions crossed the river under artillery cover and advanced further south along the Milo River.

Heavy fighting continued after the 23rd and the Chinese retreated southward to attract the enemy southward while supporting battallions arrived on the east and the west for encirclement maneuver. On September 29th the Japanese reached the outskirts of Changsha. However, they were unable to conquer the city because their supply lines were cut off by the Chinese. By October 6th the Japanese forces at Changsha were decimated while the remnants retreated northward.