On The Four Battles Of Xiangyang In The Anti-Japanese War

Xiangyang, Hubei Province, located in the hinterland of China, at the border ofHenan and Hubei Province, in the reaches of Han River.It has a unique geographicalconditions and is an important terraqueous traffic hub. Since Wuhan was occupied bythe enemy in1938, this area has become to the forefront of the frontal battlefield inHubei Province, its strategic position has become increasingly prominent.On the onehand it’s an important zone for insisting long-lasting war, protecting the rear area andlaunching the strategic counter-offensive for the Chinese army, on the other hand it’sthe only way which must be passedto offensive Sichuan and Shaanxi and ensure thesafety of continent transit for the Japanese army. So, in the mid to late of the Anti-Japanese War, Chinese and Japanese armed forces had fought for this area for severaltimes.Among them, four battles’scale are the largest, and most far-reaching influence,known as “The four battles of Xiangyang.”The four battles of Xiangyang have important position and influence in thehistory of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War. In time terms, four battles of Xiangyangthroughout the entire later of the Anti-Japanese War from1939to1945, reflect thechanges between China and Japan on the politics and strategies during the stalemateof the Anti-Japanese War profoundly;In space terms, the four battles spread to notonly the most area of20,000square kilometers of Xiangyang, but also to the largeareas include the western Hubei, the northern Hubei, the central Hubei and thesouthern Henan, which are the locations of the throat to the rear area—Sichuan andShanxi, and the stronghold of persisting in resistance; Judging from the scale of thebattles, the cumulative warring troops between Chinese and Japanese armed forceswere more than1million in the four battles of Xiangyang,including the third battle ofXiangyang,the Japanese troops once over20000and it’s the largest battle during thestalemate of the Anti-Japanese War. Judging from the historical influence, Chinesearmy annihilated about60,000enemy totally in the four battles of Xiangyan, attackedand contain the Japanese troops in Wuhan powerfully.The four battles of Xiangyanghave made outstanding contributions to the victory of Chinese Anti-Japanese War andeven the world Anti-fascist War. Zhang Zhizhong, Zhongyi and other several Chinsessenior generals and tens of thousands Chinese soliders have heroic sacrificed in the four battles of Xiangyang, they composed a moving epic of the Anti-JapaneseWar.There were both victories and defeats for Chinese army in the four battles ofXiangyang and they also have gains and losses in their tactics, however, they havenever let the Japanese occupy the whole territory of Xiangyang region successfully tosecure the rear area of Sichuan and Shaanxi. These experiences of fighting anddefense are the precious wealth to the future generations, and they are of greatreference for modern national military strategic decisions and military academicdevelopment.The four battles of Xiangyang between1939-1945were not only an importantpart of the Chinese army persisting in resistance on the frontal battlefield, but also aglorious page of the great Chinese People’s Anti-Japanese War epic. Its achievementsshine through the ages；its significance has far-reaching influence; its experienceinspires the future generations.