Battle of Guilin–Liuzhou

Battle of Guilin-Liuzhou
	Part of Operation Ichi-Go in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the China Burma India Theater and the Pacific Theater of World War II
Date	August 16 – November 24, 1944; (3 months, 1 week and 1 day)
Location	Vicinities of Guilin city and Liuzhou city, Guangxi province, Republic of China
Result	Japanese victory
Belligerents
China; United States (air support only)	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Bai Chongxi; Zhang Fakui; Kan Weiyong †; Chen Jihuan †; Lü Zhanmeng †	Yasuji Okamura; Hisakazu Tanaka
Units involved
Republic of China Army; Chinese-American Composite Wing	Imperial Japanese Army 11th Army Group; 23rd Army Group;
Strength
Western Claim : 400,000 troops; ; Chinese Claim : Approximately 100,000 troops	160,000 troops; 150 planes; Numerous tanks and armoured cars; Naval support from 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet; ; Chinese Claim : approximately 111,000 troops
Casualties and losses
Chinese claim casualties :; Various units under Zhang Fakui's command :; 14,789 killed; 10,469 wounded; 13,066 missing; 38,324 total casualties; ; 91st Division of the 29th Corps :; 365 killed; 350 wounded; 21 missing; ; Defense of Guilin :; Japanese claim on November 11, 1944 after the capture of the city : 5,665 killed and 13,151 captured.; ; Guilin City Chronicles claim : 6,488 killed and 13,151 captured.	Unknown Throughout the months of fighting in Hengyang and in the Guilin-Liuzhou campaign, the elite combat personnel of each unit of the 58th Division were gradually lost. By November 9, each company had 50-60 troops and each independent battalion had only 500 troops left.;

The Battle of Guilin–Liuzhou (simplified Chinese: 桂柳会战; traditional Chinese: 桂柳會戰; pinyin: Gùilǐu Huìzhàn), also known as the Battle of Guiliu, was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) and Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

This battle was the third of the three-part Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi, also known as Operation Ichigo. As part of the operation, a major aim of this attack was to connect the pieces of Japanese-held territory, and also, to destroy airbases in the area which were housing USAAF aircraft.

In August, after battles in Hunan and Guangdong, the 11th and 23rd Armies of the IJA launched attacks towards Guilin and Liuzhou, respectively. The NRA troops defending the area were mainly the remnants from the Battle of Hengyang, and therefore, only 20,000 troops were at Guilin on 1 November when the Japanese started their attack on the city.

The government of China knew that it would not be able to hold Guilin, but deliberately extended the battle for domestic political reasons, sending food and supplies to the besieged. Most civilians fled weeks before from Guilin, which was scorched heavily by fire. Guilin had been reinforced with defences, pillboxes, barbed wire, and the Guangxi troops under the command of Muslim General Bai Chongxi. General Joseph Stilwell, who was friendly with Bai, went to great pains to send American munitions to Bai's forces. Trenches were dug amid the hills.

After 10 days of intense fighting, the Japanese occupied Guilin, and on the same day entered Liuzhou as well. Fighting continued sporadically as Chinese forces made their rapid retreat, and on 24 November the Japanese were in control of 75 counties in Guangxi, roughly two-thirds its area, and are said to have killed 215,000 civilians in reprisal and during crossfire, wounding more than 431,000.