The NRA's deliberate destruction of Yellow River levees in 1938 caused up to 500,000 civilian deaths to slow the Japanese advance during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Key Facts
- Duration of flooding
- June 1938 to January 1947
- Immediate drowning deaths
- 30,000 to 89,000 civilians
- Total deaths (all causes)
- 400,000 to 500,000 civilians
- Civilians on inundated land
- 5 million until 1947
- First flood wave
- 13 June 1938, Zhongmu County
- Provinces affected
- Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese forces were rapidly advancing from Northern China toward Wuhan and threatening key routes into Shaanxi and Sichuan. NRA commanders sought a scorched-earth defensive measure to halt this advance, protect critical railway supply lines from the Soviet Union, and prevent Japan from reaching the Chinese wartime capital of Chongqing.
In June 1938, the National Revolutionary Army deliberately breached levees on the Yellow River at Huayuankou, Henan, unleashing a massive man-made flood across Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces. The diverted river submerged vast stretches of farmland and destroyed major railway infrastructure, including sections of the Beijing–Wuhan, Tianjin–Pukou, and Longhai railways.
The flood halted Japanese Operation 5, preventing the capture of Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Chongqing. However, between 400,000 and 500,000 civilians perished from drowning, famine, and plague, and five million people lived on inundated land until dikes were repaired in January 1947. The tactic inspired further deliberate dike destruction by both Chinese and Japanese forces along the Yangtze River.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 400,000 (flood)
Range: 400,000 – 500,000