Battle of Pingxingguan 1937
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 24 September 1937 – 25 September 1937 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1937 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Interwar (1919–1938) | derived from year |
| Location | China | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Second Sino-Japanese War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 39.3456, 113.9595 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Pingxingguan (simplified Chinese: 平型关战役; traditional Chinese: 平型關戰役) was the initial significant confrontation in northwestern Shanxi after the commencement of the full-scale Second Sino-Japanese War at the Pingxing Pass. The conflict commenced in late September and endured for almost ten days. Initially, Chinese soldiers effectively ambushed and repelled Japanese troops in the Pingxingguan region. Subsequently, the Japanese force breached Ruyuekou (Chinese: 茹越口) and seized the county seat of Fanshi. This battle also saw cooperation between Nationalist and Communist troops. The Pingxingguan Ambush, commonly called the Great Victory of Pingxingguan, was a part of this battle fought on 25 September 1937, at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War, between the Eighth Route Army of the Chinese Communist Party and the Imperial Japanese Army.
Yan Xishan, commander of the Second War Zone, dismissed a counterattack plan suggested by Chinese general Fu Zuoyi without adequate assessment, despite the circumstances. He subsequently commanded a complete withdrawal of Chinese defense forces. This decision resulted in a total retreat to the Xinkou line, culminating in the forfeiture of vital positions such as Yanmen Pass and Pingxingguan to Japanese control.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Pingxingguan (revision 1370586107), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Second Sino-Japanese War
- Battle of Nanking 1937
- Battle of Shanghai 1937
- Battle of Taiyuan 1937
- Battle of Xinkou 1937
- Marco Polo Bridge incident 1937
- Battle of Taierzhuang 1938
- Battle of Wuhan 1938
- Battle of Xuzhou 1938
- Battle of Changsha (1939) 1939
- Battle of Nanchang 1939
All 27 battles of the Second Sino-Japanese War →
Browse more: battles in China · Asia · Interwar battles