National Revolutionary Army. It was the first major battle of the war to fall within the time frame of what is widely considered World War II. The war had reached a stalemate after two years of fighting. Two of the primary motivating factors for the Japanese in launching the attack were the signing of a non-aggression pact by their German ally with their Soviet enemy, and their defeat by Soviet forces at Nomonhan. A large attack on the Chinese would therefore restore morale.
Altogether, it became obvious that the , strong Japanese force was to converge on Changsha. The Chinese strategy was to counter the enemy column in northern Jiangxi and then encircle the line on the path southward. Having recently captured important strategic locations in Jiangxi Province, Japanese troops began their attacks on Changsha in earnest on 17 September. However, the Japanese stretched too far out westward and were counter-attacked by Chinese forces from the south and the north, forcing them to retreat eastward.
Japan had not signed the Geneva Protocol East of Changsha, naval vessels landed the Shanghai Special Naval Landing Forces and portions of the 3rd Division , surrounding Changsha on three sides. Heavy fighting continued afterwards and the Chinese retreated southward as distraction for the Japanese while supporting battalions arrived on the east and the west for an encirclement maneuver. By 29 September, vanguard troops of the Japanese 6th Division had reached the outskirts of Changsha.
However, due to the heavy casualties they had incurred, estimated at over 40,, with a significant portion being fatalities, as well as the dangerous possibility of their overstretched supply lines being completely severed from constant harassment, Japanese forces were forced to withdraw across Laodao River. On 5 October, Chinese troops shot down a Japanese aircraft with orders from General Yasuji Okamura to call off the Changsha offensive, [5] and the nearby Chinese 23rd Division attacked a Japanese Navy port at Yingtian now Miluo , damaging several vessels.
Two days later, the remnants fled northward over the Miluo River while the Chinese th Division of the 52nd Corps pursued them across the Xinqiang River to recapture their former forward positions. At night, the Chinese launched raids into Xitang and Yaolin.
