Battle of Changde

The Battle of Changde was a major engagement in the Second Sino-Japanese War. On November 2, 1943 the Imperial Japanese Army invaded and occupied the undefended city of Changde. On November 18, 9,000 troops from the 57th Division of the arrived and retook the city. The IJA then counterattacked, and the 57th held out for 16 days till December 3, when 100 remaining soldiers escaped the Japanese siege and linked up with reinforcements who retook the city on December 9. Reinforcements arrived from both sides and fighting continued until the IJA finally retreated on December 20.

During the battle, Japan and chemical weapons, spreading bubonic plague over a 36-km radius in the city.

Reporter Israel Epstein witnessed and reported on the battle.

Witold Urbanowicz, a Polish pilot fighting in China in 1943 saw the city just after the battle. To the best of his knowledge nearly 300 000 civilians alone died in the battle not including Chinese and Japanese soldiers.

Order of Battle: Battle of Changde

Use of bacteriological weapons

During the Khabarovsk War Crimes Trials, some witnesses such as Major General Kiyashi Kawashima, testified that, as soon as 1941, about 40 members of unit 731 dropped by airplane fleas contaminated with on Changde and that these operations caused outbreaks of plague epidemics.

Sources:

Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War 2nd Ed. ,1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung , Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China. Pg. 412-416 Map 38

*Daniel Barenblatt, ''A plague upon Humanity'', HarperCollns, 2004, pp.220-221