The Battle of Samdunja was the first instance of the Japanese army invading mainland China and directly preceded the larger Battle of Fengwudong.
Key Facts
- Dates of battle
- June 4–6, 1920
- Location
- Wolshin River banks, East Gando, Manchuria
- Japanese commander
- Lieutenant Jiro Nihimi, Nanyang Garrison
- Korean forces
- Northern Korean Military Office and Shinmindan
- Subsequent battle
- Battle of Fengwudong, June 7, 1920
- Civilian reprisal
- Japanese massacred civilians after failing to find Korean force
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Korean independence forces, seeking to reclaim their homeland from Japanese colonial rule, launched a preemptive strike against the Japanese army's Nanyang Garrison in East Gando, Manchuria. The combined forces of the Northern Korean Military Office and the Shinmindan coordinated to strike a Japanese company on the banks of the Wolshin River.
Between June 4 and 6, 1920, one company of the Korean Independence Army defeated one company of the Imperial Japanese Army's Nanyang Garrison led by Lieutenant Jiro Nihimi at Samdunja. After the battle, Japanese military police crossed into Chinese territory in pursuit but failed to locate the Korean force, then massacred civilians in retaliation. The hiding Korean unit ambushed the Japanese at Beomjinryeong Hill before retreating.
The battle marked the first Japanese military incursion into mainland China and directly triggered the Battle of Fengwudong on June 7, 1920, a larger engagement in the Korean independence struggle. It escalated the conflict between Korean independence fighters and the Imperial Japanese Army in the Manchurian region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent
Lieutenant Jiro Nihimi.