A City Preparing for the Storm

In the autumn of 1943, as World War II raged across multiple continents, a pivotal but often overlooked battle was about to unfold in China’s Hunan province. The ancient city of Changde, strategically positioned along the Yuan River, would become the stage for one of the most brutal urban sieges of the entire Second Sino-Japanese War.

Major General Yu Chengwan, commander of the National Revolutionary Army’s 57th Division, had spent months preparing his troops for the coming storm. A rare intellectual among Chinese military leaders – holding degrees from both Sun Yat-sen University and the elite Whampoa Military Academy – Yu implemented strict discipline among his soldiers. His execution of a soldier who demanded payment from civilians for carrying their luggage demonstrated his uncompromising standards. This discipline would soon be tested beyond imagination.

By November, Yu had overseen the evacuation of Changde’s 160,000 civilians, transforming the city into a fortress awaiting its fate. His 8,000 men – already battle-hardened veterans from previous campaigns – faced an approaching Japanese force of nearly 100,000 from three elite divisions. The stage was set for a confrontation that would shock both sides with its intensity.

The Japanese Onslaught Begins

On November 18, 1943, Japanese forces launched their assault on Changde’s outer defenses. The battle opened at Tujia Lake, where forward elements of the 57th Division’s 169th Regiment made first contact with the enemy. What followed was a textbook example of desperate defensive warfare.

Chinese soldiers endured relentless aerial bombardment and artillery barrages before facing massed infantry attacks. The defenders conserved their limited ammunition, waiting until Japanese troops closed to 100 meters before unleashing coordinated volleys. Positions changed hands repeatedly in brutal close-quarters fighting. At Huangmuguan Pass, the 169th Regiment repelled over 4,000 attackers, only to be driven back temporarily by poison gas – a weapon the Japanese employed with increasing frequency as their frustration grew.

The early days revealed the Japanese command’s miscalculations. Expecting an easy victory, they committed only the 116th Division initially. When this proved insufficient, the 68th and 3rd Divisions were thrown into the fray. By November 25, three entire Japanese divisions were engaged against a single understrength Chinese division.

The Walls Begin to Crumble

As the battle entered its second week, the defenders’ situation grew increasingly desperate. The crucial De Hill position southeast of the city – abandoned by a cowardly regiment commander from another unit – fell after a heroic last stand by 200 Chinese soldiers. This opened a direct path into Changde’s heart.

Inside the city, every able-bodied man was pressed into service. Artillery crews became infantrymen; clerks and medics took up rifles. By November 28, when Japanese troops finally breached the northern walls, they encountered not a broken force but determined defenders who had prepared for urban warfare. Streets had been barricaded, buildings interconnected, and sniper nests established throughout the ruins.

One Japanese soldier later recalled in his memoirs the shocking resistance: “We paid with four dead and three wounded for every ten meters gained.” The invaders resorted to point-blank artillery fire against buildings, so fierce was the Chinese opposition.

A Global Stage and Fading Hope

While Changde burned, the battle gained international attention during the Cairo Conference in late November 1943. Chiang Kai-shek proudly described the defense to Franklin Roosevelt, who noted General Yu’s name. This global spotlight intensified pressure on Chinese forces to relieve the city, but multiple rescue attempts faltered.

The 10th Army’s relief column, including the heroic 10th Reserve Division under Major General Sun Mingjin, fought desperately to break through. Sun died leading a charge against Japanese positions, his last words urging his men to “complete the mission.” Other units like the 150th Division made sacrificial stands to divert enemy forces, with commander Xu Guozhang committing suicide rather than retreat.

Despite these efforts, no relief force reached Changde in time. By December 2, the 57th Division had been compressed into a 300-meter perimeter around the Central Bank headquarters. With fewer than 500 men remaining and only 40 functional rifles, Yu sent his famous last message: “Ammunition exhausted, reinforcements lost, troops gone, city fallen.”

The Final Hours and Controversial Escape

In a fateful decision on December 3, General Yu led a desperate breakout with 100 survivors while ordering Colonel Chai Yixin to remain with a rearguard. Chai and his 50 men launched a final suicidal charge, dying to the last man as Japanese forces finally overran the city.

Yu’s escape sparked controversy, though he immediately turned back with reinforcements upon linking with rescue forces. When he re-entered Changde on December 9, he found the Japanese had abandoned the ruined city. Only about 300 of the original 8,000 defenders survived the 16-day siege.

The cost had been staggering: two Japanese regimental commanders dead, over 10,000 casualties, and three divisions battered. The 57th Division had achieved its strategic goal – tying down massive enemy forces during critical Allied conferences – but at near-total annihilation.

Legacy of the “Tiger Warriors”

The Defense of Changde became legendary in China’s wartime history. The 57th Division earned its “Tiger Warriors” moniker through sacrifice rather than victory. Their stand demonstrated that even isolated Chinese units could resist vastly superior forces when properly led and motivated.

Today, Changde’s sacrifice is memorialized in museums and literature, though it remains less known internationally than battles like Shanghai or Taierzhuang. The mixed legacy of Yu Chengwan – praised for his leadership but criticized for his survival – adds complexity to the narrative.

More importantly, Changde exemplified the brutal arithmetic of China’s war: for every Japanese soldier killed, multiple Chinese had to die. Yet through such sacrifices, the Chinese army tied down millions of Japanese troops that might have shifted the balance in other theaters. In this sense, the Tiger Warriors of Changde contributed not just to China’s survival, but to the broader Allied victory in World War II.