Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign: Difference between revisions

The Battle of Zhejiang-Jiangxi refers to a campaign by the Japanese Imperial Army and allied Chinese forces in the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi in 1942.

On April 18, 1942, the United States launched an attack by B-25 Mitchell bombers from the USS Hornet on Tokyo, Nagoya, and Yokohama. The original plan was for the aircraft to bomb Japan and land at airfields in the unoccupied portion of China. Because the raid had to be launched earlier than planned, most of the aircraft ran out of fuel and crash-landed in the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi.

Sixty four airmen parachuted into the area around Zhejiang. Most were given shelter by the Chinese civilians but eight of the Americans were picked up by Japanese patrols; three were shot after a mock trial for 'crimes against humanity'. The Japanese army then conducted a massive search for the other soldiers and in the process whole towns and villages that were suspected of harboring the Americans were burned to the ground, and many civilians executed.

The Japanese also wanted to occupy the area to prevent American air forces from establishing bases in China from which they could reach the Japanese mainland. When Japanese troops moved out of the Zhejiang and Jiangxi areas in mid-August, they left behind a trail of devastation. Chinese estimates put the death toll at 250,000 civilians.