Key Facts
- Date
- February 7 – June 10, 1938
- Japanese force size (14th Division)
- 20,000 men with tanks
- Japanese troops encircled
- 7,000
- Chinese unit (first mechanized division)
- 200th Division, National Revolutionary Army
- Concurrent operation
- Battle of Xuzhou (late Dec 1937 – early June 1938)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Chinese forces of the 1st War Area launched a counterattack at Lanfeng using the newly formed 200th Division, China's first mechanized division. Positioned to the west of the line of contact, the 200th Division struck the flanks of General Kenji Doihara's 14th Division, successfully encircling approximately 7,000 Japanese troops within Lanfeng county. Simultaneously, Japanese forces conducted a separate offensive that captured the nearby city of Kweiteh to the southeast.
01 / The Origins
By early 1938, Japan's North China Area Army was advancing through Henan province, seeking to consolidate control over northern and eastern China. The Japanese 14th Division, acting as the vanguard of the First Army, pushed toward the Longhai railway, a critical east-west rail artery. Capturing this line would allow Japan to sever Chinese supply routes and link its northern and central China operations during the larger campaign around Xuzhou.
03 / The Outcome
The battle ended in a Chinese victory, with the 14th Division suffering near-destruction and Japan's advance on the northern Longhai railway halted. The New York Times compared the outcome to the earlier Chinese victory at Taierzhuang. However, Japanese forces offset the setback by taking Kweiteh, and the broader Henan campaign continued until June 1938 without decisive strategic resolution for either side.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Kenji Doihara.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.