Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Nanchang

Battle of Nanchang was a battle fought on 9 May 1939 at Nanchang, in what is now People's Republic of China. It was part of Second Sino-Japanese War, which ran from 1937 to 1945. The recorded result: Japanese victory.

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Fought9 May 1939
WhereNanchang, People's Republic of China28.683N, 115.883E
OutcomeJapanese victory
BelligerentsRepublic of China (1912-49)againstEmpire of Japan
Part ofSecond Sino-Japanese War1937 to 1945

Where it sits in Second Sino-Japanese War

Defense of Harbin, 1932Battle of Wenzaobang, 1932Battle of Nanking, 1937Siege of Shanghai, 1937Battle of Luodian, 1937Marco Polo Bridge incident, 1937Battle of Beiping–Tianjin, 1937Battle of Zhangjiakou, 1937Battle of Nankou, 1937Battle of Shanghai, 1937Battle of Wusong, 1937Battle of Taiyuan, 1937Battle of Datong, 1937Battle of Jining, 1937Battle of Xinkou, 1937Battle of Pingxingguan, 1937Defense of Sihang Warehouse, 1937Battle of Jinshanwei, 1937Defense of Linyi, 1938Siege of Xuzhou, 1938Battle of Northern and Eastern Henan, 1938Defense of Teng County, 1938Battle of Taierzhuang, 1938Battle of Xuzhou, 1938Battle of Wuhan, 1938Battle of Changsha, 1939Battle of Nanchang, 1939Battle of Suixian–Zaoyang, 1939Battle of South Guangxi, 1939Battle of Baotou, 1939Battle of Kunlun Pass, 1939Battle of West Suiyuan, 1940Battle of Wuyuan, 1940Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang, 1940Hundred Regiments Offensive, 1940Battle of South Henan, 1941Battle of Shanggao, 1941Battle of South Shanxi, 1941Battle of Changsha, 1941Battle of Changsha, 1942Battle of Tachiao, 1942Battle of Oktwin, 1942Battle of Toungoo, 1942Battle of Yenangyaung, 1942Battle of Lashio, 1942Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road, 1942Battle of West Hubei, 1943Battle of Northern Burma and Western Yunnan, 1943Battle of Changde, 1943Battle of Dushan, 1944Battle of Central Henan, 1944Operation Ichi-Go, 1944Battle of Changsha, 1944Defense of Hengyang, 1944Battle of Guilin–Liuzhou, 1944Battle of West Hunan, 194519321945Battle of Nanchang, 1939
58 placed engagements of Second Sino-Japanese War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date9 May 1939
PlaceNanchang, People's Republic of China
28.683N, 115.883E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Strength16,338 officers and 243,536 soldiers in 29 divisions in 4 army groups: 19th, 1st, 30th and 32nd Army Groups, Hunan–Hubei–Jiangxi Border Area Guerrilla Command120,000 troops in 3 divisions: 6th, 101st and 106th, Ishii Tank Unit (130 tanks and tankettes), 1 cavalry regiment, 1 artillery brigade, 2 artillery regiments (200 artillery pieces), 30+ ships and 50 motor boats and one battalion of Marines, and several air squadrons
Casualties and lossesChinese claim : 706 officers and 22,536 soldiers killed; 1,203 officers and 28,077 soldiers wounded; 255 officers and 15,998 soldiers missingChinese claim : 24,000 killed or wounded; Japanese claim : Nanchang offensive; In the Nanchang offensive according to the statistical table compiled by the general staff of the 11th army on 20th April 1939 : 520 killed, 1,676 wounded; From 20 March until 10 April 1939 in the Nanchang offensive according to survey data of the medical department of the 11th army on 1st March 1940: 583 killed, 1,984 wounded; Chinese counterattack; In the Chinese counterattack from mid-April until early May 1939 according to the 11th army in May 1939: 101st division : 150 killed, 399 wounded; 106th division : 102 killed, 396 wounded
Commanders
Battle of NanchangBattle of NanchangBattle of Xiushui RiverBattle of AnyiBattle of Lake PoyangBattle of ShanggaoBattle of Xiushui RiverBattle of AnyiBattle of Lake PoyangBattle of ShanggaoYichunXinyuJiujiangJingdezhenLinchuan100 km28.683N, 115.883E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1939

Battle of Nanchang is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 339 in present-day People's Republic of China.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q709385, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Nanchang, revision 1375678682, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.