27/03/2025
On 27 March 1938, 87 years ago, the Battle of Taierzhuang began.
In order to understand what led up to the Battle of Taierzhuang, we must look at the background that led to this event. Going back to the beginning, the Treaty of Shimonoseki saw a defeated Qing China and concluded the First Sino-Japanese War with Japan gaining dominion over the Korean Peninsula. 15 years later, Japan would formally annex Korea by an edict issued by Emperor Meiji – the same Emperor who overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate 21 years prior.
In 1931, Japan claimed a railway on the Northern edge of Korea was sabotaged by Chinese bandits and used it as a pretext to invade Manchuria located in Northeast China. Manchuria was taken within two months and Japan installed the overthrown Qing Emperor, Puyi in 1934 as puppet ruler. Despite objections from the League of Nations, Japan did not withdraw.
In 1937, Japan sought to use another caucus-beli to invade China proper, this time claiming a Japanese soldier was missing, demanding a unit to cross the Marco-Polo Bridge (Lugou Bridge) in Beijing to investigate. After the refusal by Chinese troops, the small skirmish turned into a full scale invasion. This was known as the “Marco Polo Bridge Incident.”
Japan would inflict heavy losses and capture huge swaths of territory, defeating Chinese troops in every battle. This would change in April 1938, when Japan reached Taierzhuang approximately 670 kilometers South of Beijing.
Taierzhuang is strategically important, as it held the first crossing point across the Han Zhuang Yu River in the Southern edge of Shandong. It is also at the heart of the local road and rail network, proving to be a crucial transport hub for the Chinese military. The Chinese garrison consisted of 250,000 troops, armed only with rifles and pistols. Additionally, there consisted of a few obsolete Soviet aircraft. Conversely, Japanese troops numbered at 60,000, but were equipped with mortars, artillery pieces, tanks, armoured cars and modern aircraft.
Chinese troops stood steadfast, as the city’s buildings provided cover for tanks and air attacks. Due to their large numbers, they were able to halt waves of infantry, with tanks unable to advance without troop cover. When Japanese troops entered the city, the house-to-house fighting made it impossible to continue. This is extremely similar to what would happen in Stalingrad in 1943. After two weeks of back and forth, the Japanese high command decided to withdraw and consolidate gains whilst preparing for another offensive.
This battle was significant as it proved to be the first time a Japanese advance was halted, thus providing China’s first major victory against Japan. Over 40 tanks, armoured cars and were destroyed, which were unrecoverable losses for the Japanese military. This battle humiliated the Japanese, to the point where newspapers at home downplayed the events significantly. This battle also broke the idea of “Japanese invincibility” and provided a huge morale boost for the Chinese army. China would hold this city for another four months before the next Japanese offensive.
Thank you for reading! We know this one was extremely long. We hope you enjoyed it!
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