Swatow Operation

Swatow Operation Operation Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War Date June 21–27, 1939 Location Shantou Result Japanese victory; Japanese force occupied Shantou and Chaozhou Belligerents  Japan  Imperial Japanese Navy  Imperial Japanese Army  China  National Revolutionary Army Commanders and leaders Kondo Nobutake, Jūrō Gotō Hua Chen-chung Strength 43,000 38,400 Casualties and losses ? ?

Second Sino-Japanese War Major engagements in bold Began in 1931–37 Mukden Manchuria Jiangqiao Nenjiang Bridge Jinzhou Harbin Shanghai (1932) Pacification of Manchukuo Rehe Great Wall Inner Mongolia Suiyuan Began in 1937–39 Marco Polo Bridge Beiping-Tianjin Chahar Shanghai (1937) Sihang Warehouse Beiping-Hankou Railway Tianjin-Pukou Railway Taiyuan Pingxingguan Xinkou Nanjing Xuzhou Taierzhuang N.-E.Henan Lanfeng Amoy Chongqing Wuhan Wanjialing Canton Hainan Nanchang Xiushui River Suixian-Zaoyang Swatow 1st Changsha S.Guangxi Kunlun Pass Winter Offensive West Suiyuan Wuyuan Began in 1940–42 Zaoyang-Yichang Hundred Regiments N. Vietnam C. Hubei S.Henan W. Hebei Shanggao S.Shanxi 2nd Changsha 3rd Changsha Yunnan-Burma Road Tachiao Oktwin Toungoo Yenangyaung Zhejiang-Jiangxi Sichuan invasion Began in 1943–45 W.Hubei N.Burma-W.Yunnan Changde Ichi-Go C.Henan 4th Changsha Hengyang Guilin-Liuzhou Mt. Song W.Henan-N.Hubei W.Hunan 2nd Guangxi Others Aerial engagements

The Swatow Operation, (June 21–27, 1939) was part of a campaign by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War to blockade China in order to prevent it from communicating with the outside world and importing needed arms and materials. Control of Swatow would provide a base to make the blockade of Guangdong province more effective.

Order of battle Swatow Operation

Part of Goto Detachment and a part of Sasebo 9th SNLF landed on the east coast on June 21 near the airfield east Swatow. Other Japanese troops in more than ten motor boats proceeded up the Han river and landed at Mei-hsi (near modern Anbu) cutting the road between Swatow north to Chao-chow. A coordinated attack by the Japanese drove the Chinese defenders, Hua Chen-chung's brigade and local militia units, from the city of Swatow. They fell back to the Yenfu–Meihsi line on June 23.

The Japanese also had landed at Jiao Yu, the island south of Swatow, on June 22. They occupied the whole island by June 24. The Chinese fell back to Fuyang on the 24th to block the approaches to Chaochow as the Japanese landed reinforcements. Proceeding north in pursuit the Japanese also sent forces up the river and landed in the Chinese rear, part of the Chinese force then fell back into the city while the remainder moved into the mountains northwest of the city. The Japanese advancing from the west captured Chaochow by June 27 after heavy street fighting. Later the Chinese sent reinforcements of the 5th Reserve Division, and 1st Advance Column to block the Japanese from further advances and conduct guerrilla warfare on their positions and lines of communications.

References

• Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) 2nd Ed.,1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China. Pg. 492-493
• 中国抗日战争正面战场作战记 China's Anti-Japanese War Combat Operations
  • Author : Guo Rugui, editor-in-chief Huang Yuzhang
  • Press : Jiangsu People's Publishing House
  • Date published : 2005-7-1
  • ISBN 7-214-03034-9
  • Online in Chinese
    • 第七部分：相持阶段前期的作战海南岛作战 2 Shantou battles
• The Japanese OOB of Swatow Operation

External links

• Map of Swatow Operation

Coordinates: 23°20′20″N 116°42′43″E / 23.3388°N 116.7120°E / 23.3388; 116.7120