Tom Su

The battle of Taiyuan includes: Battle of Pingxingguan battle, Tianzhen, Xinkou battle, battle of Taiyuan, battle of niangziguan. From October 1937 to November, during the Anti Japanese War, Chinese second troops with the Japanese army in North China in the north of Shanxi Province, the eastern and central regions of the large-scale strategic defense battle.^[1]

In the late summer of 1937; the Japanese Kwantung Army chief of staff under the command of Tojo E, the army set up headquarters in Toronto, with four brigade troops along the flat Suilu from mongolia. Pinghan way Japanese army Fifth Division at the head of the division under the command of Itagaki Shiro, from Huailai through Weixian County, Laiyuan to Baoding to coordinate operations. China, the national government in the second fight in each department in Weixian County, and Tian Zhen, Yanggao Pingxingguan, Datong in the near to the main assembly, in preparation for julebu and Japanese aggression army battle. Since September 5th the Japanese attack West , only twenty days, they occupied the city, the town of Datong, Jining, Yanggao and large area.

Tianzhen Battle: battle from September 3rd started, more than 1 thousand and 500 Japanese troops began to attack the Kuomintang positions,In September 5th, 6, the Japanese aircraft, tanks, artillery, armored vehicles and step more than 3 thousand horsemen began to attack the town main position. In the attack, the Japanese army also used a gas bomb, in addition to the aircraft. The 400 regiment stationed in Panshan to resist, the end result was hopelessly outnumbered more than and 800 casualties, run out of ammunition and food supplies, and after the Japanese breakthrough position.In September 9th, the fall of yanggao. The Japanese siege complex back to TianZhen. The posterior was amputated, commander Li Fuying ordered to leave,at12,Tianzhen fall, North Shanxi lost barrier.

Pingxingguan Battle: in September 21st, the Japanese army Fifth Division twenty-first regiment in two infantry brigade from Hunyuan south to climb mountains, the seventeenth army attacked the defenders of positive, 23 day occupation group and then to twenty-first brigade Chengkou; from Lingqiu to the south, Pingxingguan from frontal attack, the KMT army was fighting thirty-third army seventy-third Division, 24 troops stormed again. Thirty-fifth army commander Fu Zuoyi rate reserve army 2 division reinforcements, the Japanese attack frustrated. The Eight Route Army in the 115th division division commander Lin Biao, deputy commander Nie Rongzhen led to a hit Lingqiu, Laiyuan in 685th, the main enemy lines, 686th, 687th regiment three regiment ambushed the Japanese army in Lingqiu County, favorable terrain of East Henan town Pingxingguan northeast highway on both sides of the mountain. In September 25th, the Fifth Division forty-second regiment of the twenty-first brigade and a large number of baggage vehicles from Lingqiu to advance in the pre V area Pingxingguan, killed thousands of people, hundreds of vehicles were destroyed. The Japanese Army Second brigade, Fifteenth east post, 27 days on the second day of Ru Ru exports, exports fell. Japanese troops occupied Fanshi, the threat of Pingxingguan paranotum. 30 day and night, Pingxingguan garrison was ordered to withdraw to Mount Wutai. The Japanese army was in Pingxingguan westward to Daixian.

Xinkou Battle: The Communist army and the Kuomintang army retreated to Xinkou, both sides of WuTaishan and the Yunzhonshan mountains, and the defense was favorable. In October 2nd, the Japanese army attacked Gouxian, and then pressed against Yuanping, defeating Jiang Yuzhen’s 196th brigade in thirty-fourth, December 1st, 50000 Japanese troops began in Xinkou assault, used more than thirty aircraft, forty artillery, and more than fifty tanks. 16, China to fight back, the Japanese slowdown. 19, China army successfully attacked Yangmingbao airport and destroyed 24 Japanese planes on the ground, because of air support, in 26 Japanese assault battalion China garrison line push back to Shijiazhuang through the Taiyuan railway. January 11th, the Chinese army to give up Xinkou, returned to Taiyuan.

Niangziguan defense battle: The Kuomintang troops into East Shanxi Niangziguan area defense organization, positive for the seventeenth, thirtieth division, fourteenth army left, right by the third army, deputy commander of the second district chief Huang Shaohong command. In October 11th, the Japanese twentieth division of the occupation of Jingxing, a school of Niangziguan front, the main bypass in 13, captured the old customs. Yan Xishan is anxious to reinforce the north of Shanxi Province, sun Lianzhong rate of the twenty-sixth Route Army feedback Niangziguan, organized a counterattack, the Japanese fighters, but did not regain the old customs. 21, the Japanese twentieth division division commander Kawagishi Fuburo 109th division of reinforcements, to continue in the aviation support under the frontal attack of Niangziguan, covering twentieth division two commando moved southward. measuring the town of fish on the south side of Third Army breakthrough defense, and turn around to Niangziguan. Niangziguan garrison in full retreat, the Japanese teenage boy along the west of the railway chase, blocking and repel Joseph forty-first army, the occupation of Shouyang in November 2nd. Japanese quickly approaching Yuci, The twentieth division troops baggage by Qigencun, has two times by the Eight Route Army 129th division. 26, the Japanese left about 4 Commando Brigade by endangering Taiyuan. In October 4th and 7, the Japanese army in a mountain by Guangyang 115th, 129th division of the Eight Route Army ambush.

The battle of Taiyuan: In November 4th, Yan Xishan Fu Zuoyi was appointed commander of the Yugoslav capital Taiyuan, Wei commander in chief in the second front, determined to occupy Taiyuan Beijiao positions in Xinkou retreating troops, to withdraw the troops defending the Niangziguan eastern suburbs of Taiyuan, Yuci to promote the Japanese reinforcements to standby attack just thirteenth army, 7 army brigade in thirty-fifth is responsible for the damage. However, the two line is still based on the withdrawal of troops is not stable, the Japanese that followed, the order of chaos. 5, the Japanese accounted for 6 of Yuci Road, North Road, the Japanese at Taiyuan city wall, 7 sides of the Japanese siege to. Fight to the night, only more than 2000 defenders soldiers. The battle of Taiyuan is the Second World War Chinese army and Japanese army first front battle, but also Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang cooperation for the first time fighting, the Japanese army occupied Chinese slow speed, it consumes the Japanese Army forces broke the Japanese army strong.

Bibliography

Chen,C.Peter “Battle of Shan Xi” World war 2 Database 2004-2007.Accessed Fed 23.2017.www2db.com/

Akira Kakizawa “Early Japanese Campaign in the 2nd Sino-Japanese war”.Axis History forum Aug 2006.Accessed March 9 2017.www.forum.axishistory.com/

Long,F “Battle of taiyuan”.Nov 2015.Accessed March 9 2017.www.baike.baidu.com/

Xi,N “Background and process of Taiyuan”.March 2016.Accessed March 22.www.shanxi.sina.com.cn/

^[1] Peter C. Chen. “Battle of Shan Xi” World War 2 Database. 2004-2007. Accessed February 23, 2017. www2db.com/

^[2]