Research On The Japanese Army's Operational Plan For Invading Northwest China During The Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945)

Before the outbreak of all-out war,Japan had organized military intelligence gathering in northwest China.After the July 7 incident,the Japanese army mainly occupied important areas in north,central and south China,but paid little attention to the vast northwest of China.They just tried to divide and break up China’s anti-Japanese camp through the so-called northwest Muslim work.After the Wuhan meeting,with the winter offensive launched by the Chinese army and the increasingly prominent role of the northwest international corridor,the Japanese army began to plan to invade the northwest by force.During the war of resistance against Japanese aggression,the Japanese army’s intention to fight against northwest China went through four stages.From 1937 to the end of 1938,the Japanese had no plans to invade the northwest.From 1939 to December 1941,the Japanese army tried to cut off the northwest international corridor and destroy the northwest rear of China,and began planning to attack the northwest region.And in the quiet conduct of the soldiers before the war geodesic survey,from the survey of the Japanese army,it can be inferred that there are two major directions,one is the direction of Mongolia,Xinjiang,two is along the Shanxi and Longhai direction,the main direction of the Xi’an area.After the outbreak of the Pacific war in late 1941,the Japanese army was eager to get away from the Chinese battlefield,so they made the fifth battle to force the nationalist government to surrender by force.In this plan,the northwest Xi’an area was taken as the main attack direction to attack Sichuan.However,as the Japanese suffered a series of defeats in the Pacific battlefield,the base camp could not deliver the materials and troops needed for the fifth battle,the plan was ultimately grounded.After 1944,due to the increasing activity of the Chinese air force in the northwest area,the Japanese army made a battle plan to destroy the Chinese air base in Xi’an.The Japanese army finally failed to carry out the battle plan of attacking the northwest region,which was mainly affected by many aspects.One is the complex political forces in the northwest,interwoven with the struggle between different parties,and even the Soviet union.Second,the environment of the Yellow River defense and the northwest area was not conducive to the Japanese army to exert its mechanized operations,so that the high command could not make up its mind.Third,there are the limits of Japan’s strength and national strength.When the Japanese high command finally made up its mind to attack the northwest region in 1942,it was unable to carry out the plan due to the influence of the Pacific battlefield.