- Sichuan invasion
The Sichuan Invasion, also known as the Chongqing Operation, Chongqing Campaign or Operation 5, was the
Imperial Japanese Army 's failed plan to destroy theChongqing -basedChiang Kai-shek government during theSecond Sino-Japanese War . It was to be a stepping stone forJapan 's final control of the Chinese mainland. The operation started in spring of1942 , after the first phase of operations had been concluded in south China, and continued through spring of1943 . The operation is noted for Japan's sustained bombing of cities in central west China.The Basic Plan
The basic plan was to make a multi-front breakthrough to Sichuan from northern
Shanxi , central Hubei and southern Hunan. Heavy aerial support and bombing of Chongqing supported the advance of Japanese Army and collaborationist forces. Japanese Navy patrol boats from theYangtze river provided further bombardment. Chiang Kai-shek discussed the invasion in his book "Soviet Russia in China", stating:The
Imperial General Headquarters sent the order for drawing down 16 divisions and logistics support units from Japan reserves,Manchukuo and Southern Areas (includingNew Guinea andSolomon islands also) to reinforce the Japanese expeditionary forces in central China area, to prepare the principal force of ten divisions in southShanshi and other support group conformed by six Divisions ofIchang inHubei amongst other Divisions located inChangde , inHunan , for striking Sichuan and the occupation of Chongqing in September 1942.Cite book |last=Kai-shek |first=Chiang |title=Soviet Russia in China: A Summing-up at Seventy |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |date=1957]By coincidence, September 1942 was also the time when the German
Wehrmacht was closing in onStalingrad . The actual invasion involves Japanese units first occupyingWanxian , from where the Japanese could advance to Chongqing-proper in echelon. To cut off the escape routes of Chinese refugees, the occupation of NorthGuizhou was planned, which could be used to stage an attack onChengdu throughYibin . The north Japanese army division had the option to either advance towards southShaanxi to captureXian , or towardsHangzhong to take Chengdu directly. Alternatively, Japan could have utilizedairborne forces to cut off Chinese escape routes and take the Chongqing metropolitan area directly.Interests in Sichuan region
Both Chiang Kai-shek and General Wego W.K. Chiang suspected that the intense
bombing of Chongqing by the Japanese Navy and the Japanese Air Force was to support the diversionary Japanese operations against metropolitan Chongqing, as part of the invasion of Sichuan. It was also possible that the Japanese army hoped that a terror campaign against Chongqing would force the Chinese authorities to break from the Allies and make a separate peace with Japan.ichuan Invasion
Japanese plan
According to General Chiang Wei-kuo, should the invasion be successful, the Japanese might have intended to put
Wang Chingwei 'spuppet regime in charge of Chongqing. The Japanese might also persuade Chiang Kai-shek to join Japan'sGreater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere and to even assist in a future Japanese offensive against theSoviet Union inSiberia andCentral Asia . Another possibility was the installation of a Japanese civilian or militaryGovernor-General to administer the area as an Imperial Japanese Armyfief in mainlandAsia , which could later be expanded to includeTibet andXinjiang as well.Factors affecting the Sichuan Invasion
Due to opposition against Japan from other Allied countries, the Sichuan Invasion was not enthusiastically carried out. In particular, the
United States ' counter-offensive against Japan heavily undermined the possibility of an invasion. Chiang Kai Shek stated:But in June 1942, Japanese forces suffered the humiliating defeat in the Battle of Midway, and in August the U.S] forces initiated the counteroffensive against the
Solomon Islands , with a landing atTenaru River , Guadalcanal (Operation Watchtower ). The Japanese suffered frequent losses at the end of September 1942, and decided to delay the implement of invasion plan for Sichuan. Later in November, the Japanese forces having been totally defeated in Guadalcanal, (Battle of Guadalcanal ,Battle of Tassafaronga andBattle of Rennel ), the situation was turned around, with Japan losing all possibility to transfer with impunity its forces in the area (the Japanese were obliged to used all disposable vessels in their retreat, "Operation KE " during the night of February 1-2 1943, the last part of the so-called "Tokyo Express "). At the end of 1942, the planning for the Sichuan Invasion was suspended.Last operative attempt to invade
However, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters was still in favor of an invasion. Hence the Japanese
China Expeditionary Army produced a new plan for the capture ofSichuan , which was based on the previous 1942 plan. The May 1943 "Battle of West Hubei " was part of this new attempt to advance to Sichuan.Nevertheless, by then the Nationalists Chinese Armies gained the support of the "
Flying Tigers " (A.V.G.) of the United States, which was commanded by GeneralClaire Chennault . In subsequents battles, the Japanese army suffered defeats in hands of the Nationalists Chinese Armies. In light of these defeats, the Japanese forces was obliged to occult for six months before a new offensive could be mounted. During this period the Chinese Army sent seven Army envoys to Yunnan andIndia to clear the China-Burma route.In fear of Chinese reinforcements through the cleared route and having sustained much losses in the
Battle of Changde , the Japanese army switched their attention toYunnan to prevent future Chinese counter-offensives from that area.See also
*
Bombing of Chongqing References
* General Wego W.K. Chiang "How the Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek gaining the Chinese-Japanese eight years War,1937-1945".
* Gen. Wego W.K. Chiang, "Die Strategische Bedetung Taiwans", Taipei
* Idem. "Chinese Communists Modernization Problems", Taipei, 1979
* Alphonse Max, "Southeast Asia: Destiny and Reality", Montevideo, Uruguay: International Studies (Spanish translation By Dr. Santiago Rompani and Prof. Alvaro Casal), 1985.
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