80 Years On: Remembering the Unforgotten Front 🗓️
In 2025, we mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Let’s journey through the China Theater of War from 1937 to 1945 in an action-packed timeline! 💥
1937: The Spark Ignites
July 7: The July 7th Incident ignites nationwide resistance against Japanese aggression, turning China into the main battlefield of anti-fascist forces in the East.
July 15: The CPC Central Committee declares cooperation between the KMT and the CPC, forming the National United Front.
July 29–30: Beiping and Tianjin fall to Japanese forces, but Chinese unity grows stronger.
August: The Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact brings loans, military supplies, and volunteer air support from the Soviet Union to the Chinese mainland.
Late 1937: Battles & Bold Moves
Aug 13–Nov 12: In the Battle of Songhu, 700,000 Chinese troops fight fiercely for three months, thwarting Japan’s plan for a quick conquest.
Sept 25: Victory at Pingxingguan Pass marks the first major Chinese triumph, led by the Eighth Route Army.
Dec 13–Jan 1938: The Nanjing Massacre claims over 300,000 lives in six weeks, remembered as one of WWII’s worst atrocities.
1938: Turning Tides
Mar–Apr: Battle of Taierzhuang sees more than 10,000 Japanese troops killed in China’s first large-scale front victory.
Apr–May: Over 600,000 Chinese soldiers battle in Xuzhou, showcasing fierce resilience.
Jun–Oct: The Battle of Wuhan becomes the largest and longest engagement of the war.
1939–41: Hope from Skies and Fields
Aug 1940–Jan 1941: The Hundred-Regiment Campaign mobilizes over 100 Eighth Route Army regiments to hit Japanese railways, downing 20,000 troops.
Aug 1941: The Flying Tigers arrive under US Captain Claire Chennault, boosting Chinese air defenses and claiming their first victory on Dec 20.
1942–43: Guerrilla Spirit
Feb 1942: The Hong Kong–Kowloon Brigade sets up anti-Japanese guerrilla bases in the New Territories.
May 1942: The Zhejiang–Jiangxi Campaign fiercely defends airfields against Japanese raids.
Nov–Dec 1943: In Changde, the 57th Division holds out for 16 days, halting the Japanese advance.
1944–45: Final Strikes
Apr 1944: A major Japanese offensive secures transport routes but costs China large territories in Henan, Hunan and Guangxi.
Mar 1945: Chinese counterattacks in Henan and Hubei kill or wound over 15,000 Japanese troops.
Apr–Aug 1945: Counteroffensives in Guilin–Liuzhou and west Hunan recapture Guangxi and disable 24,000 enemy troops.
Aug 9, 1945: Soviet forces enter Northeast China, crushing Japan’s Kwantung Army.
Aug 15: Emperor Hirohito announces Japan’s unconditional surrender.
Sept 2: Japan signs the Instrument of Surrender, ending the Pacific War.
Sept 3: Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression marks China’s first modern triumph over invasion.
Sept 9: The surrender ceremony in Nanjing seals the China Theater victory, with Japanese forces handing over to General He Yingqin.
From the July 7th Incident to the September celebrations in Nanjing, the Unforgotten Front stands as a testament to resilience, unity, and hope. 🌟
Reference(s):
Unforgotten Front: Timeline of the China Theater of War, 1937–1945
cgtn.com
