During the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese Army's Operation Changsha (The Battle of Changsha) was conducted in and around Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. Four attacks were launched against Changsha in order to gain control of southern China. The First Operation Changsha took place from September 18 to October 6, 1941, and the Second Operation Changsha from December 24, 1941 to January 16, 1942. Chinese guerrilla troops in plain clothes invaded Changsha and blended in with civilian Chinese. Civilian Chinese in Hunan Province were abused and massacred by the Japanese forces in indiscriminate fighting. The first Changsha campaign synchronized with the combat period of World War II.
In December 1941, with the start of the Pacific War, the Changsha Operation was launched as a diversionary tactic in mainland China to capture the Hong Kong Fortress. The Japanese troops, who had no supplies, ran out of ammunition and food and suffered many casualties. By the reckless Changsha Operation without a plan, the Japanese were intoxicated with the invincibility of the Imperial Army and underestimated the Chinese forces, which finally turned around and fell into retreat. As a result of the painful Changsha Operation, a large amount of blood of about 10,000 Japanese soldiers was spilled.
After nearly a week of fierce fighting starting on September 17, 1941, the Japanese forces arrived on the outskirts of Changsha on September 29. By then, the Japanese forces had suffered heavy casualty losses, estimated at more than 10,000. The remaining Japanese forces, with their overextended supply lines also cut off, withdrew northward by October 6, the first disastrous defeat in a major Chinese city in the Sino-Japanese War since July 1937.
In September 1941, more than 120,000 Japanese troops embarked on an operation to capture the Chinese city of Changsha. The first engagement took place in the mountains southeast of Yueyang, where Chinese guerrilla forces clashed with Japanese troops. The Japanese troops crossed the river from September 17 to September 19. The Japanese used poison gas to drive Chinese troops out of the area. on September 27, Japanese troops entered the North Gate of Changsha, but failed to eradicate the sabotage by plainclothes guerrilla forces. The attack on the city of Changsha began on September 28 and soon turned into a battle with brutal abuses and massacres. Chinese defense forces under Xue Yue's command pushed the Japanese back into the Yueyang area by September 30 after inflicting some 10,000 deaths on Japanese soldiers.
