The
Battle of Rehe (sometimes called the
Battle of Jehol) was the second part of
Operation Nekka, a campaign by which the
Empire of Japan successfully captured the
Inner Mongolian province of
Rehe from the
Chinese warlord Zhang Xueliang and annexed it to the new state of
Manchukuo. The battle was fought from February 21 to March 1, 1933.
Background
Following the establishment of
Manchukuo, the
Kwantung Army launched an operation to secure its southern frontier with China by attacking and capturing
Shanhaiguan Pass at the
Great Wall on 3 January 1933. The province of
Rehe, on the northern side of the Great Wall was the next target. Declaring the province to be historically a portion of
Manchuria, the Japanese Army initially hoped to secure it through the defection of General
Tang Yulin to the Manchukuo cause. When this failed, the military option was placed into action. Assigned to this operation were the Japanese
6th Division and
8th Division and
14th and
33rd Mixed Brigades of infantry,
4th Cavalry Brigade and the 1st Special Tank Company.
The Japanese army's
Chief of Staff requested
Emperor Hirohito's sanction for the 'strategic operation' against Chinese forces in Rehe. Hoping that it was the last of the army's operations in the area and that it would bring an end to the Manchurian matter, the Emperor approved, while stating explicitly that the army was not to go beyond China's Great Wall.
The Battle of Rehe
On February 23, 1933, the offensive was launched. On
February 25,
Chaoyang and
Kailu were taken. On
March 2, the Japanese 4th Cavalry Brigade encountered resistance from the forces of
Sun Dianying, and after days of fighting, took over
Chifeng. Sun Dianying mounted a counterattack against the Japanese 6th Division on the same day, and at one time penetrated to near the Japanese headquarters. On
March 4, Japanese cavalry and the 1st Special Tank Company with
Type 89 Tanks took
Chengde the capital of Rehe.
Aftermath
Rehe was subsequently annexed to Manchukuo. Zhang Xueliang was forced by the
Kuomintang government to relinquish his posts for “medical reasons”. Chinese forces fell back in disarray to the Great Wall, where after a
series of battles and skirmishes, the Japanese Army seized a number of strategic points, and then agreed to a
cease fire and a negotiated settlement (the
Tangku Truce) whereby a
demilitarized zone would be established between the Great Wall and
Beijing. However, this would prove to be only a temporary respite before the full scale combat of the
Second Sino-Japanese War erupted in earnest in 1937.
See also
