This week, 70 years ago, the Imperial Japanese Army, under the command of General Yasuji Okamura, made its second attempt to capture the 2,000 year old Chinese City of Changsha, which is the capital of Hunan Province. Today Changsha is home to more than six million Chinese. Former Chairman, Mao Zedong, began his political career there, first as a student at Hunan No. 1 Teachers’ Training School and later as teacher and principal of the same school. It was in Changsha that Mao became a communist. It is the birthplace of the Chairman’s first wife, Yang Kaihui. The largest Chinese restaurant in the world, with seating for 5,000 is located there.
    By this time in the war there was not much left of the city. It had already survived one battle two years ago, and what was not bombed by the Japanese, had been burned by the Chinese. However, it was the gateway to China’s southernmost provinces, an important railway junction and the last door to the Western World.
    In July, 1941, General Okamura was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Northern China Area Army, which consisted of the First, Twelfth and Forty-third Armies and the Second Independent Mixed Brigade. After the war General Okamura was convicted of war crimes by the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal and although he, through his use of chemical weapons and administration of the “Three Alls” policy - “Kill all, Burn all, Loot all” - had been responsible for 2.7 million Chinese civilian deaths, he was immediately pardoned by the Nationalist Leader, Chiang Kai-shek, who gave him a job as military advisor to the Chinese Nationalist Army.
    The Japanese forces numbered about 120,000 troops from the Third, Fourth, Sixth, Thirteenth, Thirty-Third and Fortieth Divisions.  
    The Chinese forces defending the City consisted of the following: 19th Army Group under the command of Lo Cho-ying; 30th Army Group under the command of Wang Ling-chi; the 4th, 10th, 20th, 26th, 37th, 58th, 72nd, 74th, 79th and 99th Corps and the 2nd Provisional Corps, under the command, respectively, of Ou Chen, Liu Yu-tang, Yanga Han-yu, Hsiao Chih-chu, Chen Pei, Sun Tu, Han Chuan-Pu, Wang Yao-Wu, Hsia Chu-chung, Fu Chung-fang and Tsou Hung.  
    The Chinese Defenders were commanded by Xue Yue. He was probably the best that Nationalist China had. American General Claire Chennault, leader of the famed “Flying Tigers,” nicknamed him the “Patton of Asia.” This highly respected Chinese General lived until 1998 when he died at the age of 101 in Taiwan.  Nationalist Soldiers under his command had forced Mao’s Communist Army to embark on the famous year-long, eight thousand mile, “Long March,” which was actually a long retreat, in 1934-5.  For this, he was described by Chiang as, “...a true example of an Officer.” After the Nationalist retreat to Taiwan, upon their defeat by the Communists under Mao, after the War, General Yu was offered a government post, but declined, and instead retired from the Army with ten years back pay, plus interest, making him relatively wealthy. Two summers ago, his son-in-law, Tai Kuo, was sentenced by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Virginia, to spend sixteen years in prison for spying against the U.S. for China.
    The battle opened when Japanese forces attacked the Chinese on September 7, 1941 near Yuezhou. On September 17, 1941, the Japanese crossed the Sinchiang River at four points and made rapid advances, crossing the Milo River on September 19th. By, September 26, Changsha was encircled. On September 28th the battle was joined, which included street fighting, in the city.  Eventually, reinforcements arrived and the Japanese were driven out, leaving more than 10,000 dead. On October 1, Chinese troops, under the command of Hsueh Yueh surrounded and mauled the retreating Japanese 11th Corps between the Lao-tao and Liu-yang Rivers. A week later, Chinese troops arrived at Yuezhou, marking an end to the Second Battle of Changsha. In all, the Japanese suffered 40,000 casualties.
    On December 24th the Japanese attacked the city again in an attempt to prevent the Chinese from reinforcing Commonwealth forces in Hong Kong.  Once again the Imperial Japanese Army suffered a defeat leaving behind almost fifty-seven thousand dead. The Times of London characterized it as the first major Allied victory of the War.
    In May of 1944 the Japanese attempted, for the fourth time, to capture Changsha. This time the outcome was different. First, they employed more than three times as many troops - 360,000 - and second, General Yu was not in command of the Chinese. The commander of the Chinese Forces defending Changsha, General Zhang De-Neng, commander of 4th Corps, fled the city and was later executed by Chiang Kai-shek. The Japanese 11th Army, commanded by Isamu Yokayama attacked from Wuhan, on May 27, 1944. It was later joined by the 23rd Army from Canton.

NEXT WEEK: THE BATTLES OF VYAZMA AND BRYANSK    

Mr. Wimbrow writes from Ocean City, Maryland, where he practices law representing those persons accused of criminal and traffic offenses, and those persons who have suffered a personal injury through no fault of their own.