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Sichuan invasion Wikipedia

cleanup-date|May 2005

The Sichuan Invasion took place during the spring of 1942 through to the spring of 1943, as the IJA planned a supposedly final, decisive operation to defeat the National Revolutionary Army|Chinese army in the Central West China area in order to conquer China. This invasion is analogous to the Wehrmacht's hope for the definitive defeat of the RKKA|Red Army at Stalingrad.

In Spring 1942, the Japanese General Headquarters prepared plans for redeploying 16 divisions and their logistics units from Japan and Northwest China and the South Seas to reinforce its invasion force in central China. It deployed these units into a main force of 10 divisions in south Shanxi and a secondary force of 6 divisions, based in Ichang, to invade Sichuan in a pincer movement. The IJA planned to mount a single large-scale invasion in Spring 1943 in an effort to destroy all Chinese army safe havens in the West Central China area, based upon previous similar operations in East Central China and Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas in 1937 and the Hankou-Wuhan invasions in 1938. At the same time, Japanese units in Hubei and Hunan assigned to the invasion were reinforced from
Indochina via the Gwangxi area, to form the southern arm of the pincer mentioned above.

In June 1942, Japan suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Midway, and United States|U.S. forces commenced the counter offensive against the Solomon Islands with the amphibious assault on Guadalcanal. Because of these losses and the need to reinforce other fronts, the Japanese
Command decided in late September to delay preparations for the Sichuan invasion. The loss of Guadalcanal in November further damaged the Japanese strategic position, and made it impossible for them to proceed with the Sichuan Invasion as planned.

After the Japanese airforce gained air superiority, cities like Chongqing were terror-bombing|terror-bombed to intimidate the population and to destroy infrastructure. This objective was not achieved, but did inflict massive civilian casualties.

In December of 1942, plans for the Sichuan invasion were suspended indefinitely; and forces assigned to the operation were relocated in other fronts in China mainland and operative areas in Pacific war.

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In May 1943, the IJA, still without adequate reinforcements, decided to carry out the Sichuan invasion with their existing forces. However the Japanese were defeated by National Revolutionary Army|Chinese Nationalist forces in the Battle of West Hupei. During their retreat, they were harassed by the "Flying Tigers"(A.V.G.) of General Claire Chennault and suffered severe losses. The Japanese were forced to abort their invasion plans.

As a result, Japanese units had to hold for seven months in the area awaiting other operations, The Battle of Changteh was fought to prevent the sending of Chinese forces in Yunnan to Burma Campaign|Burma and to disrupt any Chinese plans to conduct counter offensives in these sectors.

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These operations were discussed during an Imperial conference in July 1941-42. When analized
the Strategy lines and plans to solve the Northern Trouble, the Siberian Invasion (Operation Ohtsu)
how part of strategies relationed with Outbreak of Russo-German War and your effects in Asia
Mainland,and aproved the circunstances for invading the Soviet Russian lands and for way destroy in definitive form the political danger represent of Comunism for Japanese Empire.

These important conference deliberated if are accord with plans of Japanese invasion to Siberia why the Chungking Operation(Sichuan Invasion)had to be suspend or delayed for more later or in other hand these operation mentioned debt to continuing joining at Siberian Invasion.

See Also:

• Bombing of Chongqing

• Battle of West Hupei

• Battle of Changteh

Last Modified:   2005-11-04