Battle of Weihaiwei

Battle of Weihaiwei
Part of the First Sino-Japanese War

Battle of Weihaiwei, Utagawa Kokunimasa
DateJanuary 20 – February 12, 1895
Location
Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
 Empire of Japan  Qing China
Commanders and leaders
Ōyama Iwao
Itō Sukeyuki
Ōdera Yasuzumi 
Li Hongzhang Surrendered
Ding Ruchang 
Liu Buchan 
Strength
25,000
3 protected cruisers
10,600
2 battleships
1 coastal battleship
1 protected cruiser
13 torpedo boats
Casualties and losses
Unknown 4,000 killed
1 battleship captured
1 battleship scuttled
1 coastal battleship captured
1 protected cruiser scuttled
6 torpedo boats destroyed
7 torpedo boats captured
An incident in the Battle of Weihaiwei—Major General Ōdera at the cliff, 1895. Woodblock print by Ogata Gekkō, ink and color on paper triptych; 37.9 x 72.8 cm (14 15/16 x 28 11/16 in.) in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Battle of Weihaiwei (Japanese: Ikaiei-no-tatakai (威海衛の戦い) took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War in Weihai, Shandong Province, China, between the forces of Japan and Qing China. In early January 1895, the Japanese landed forces in eastern Shandong[1] positioning forces behind the Chinese naval base at Weihaiwei.[2]

Through a well-coordinated offensive of both naval and land forces, the Japanese destroyed the forts and sank much of the Chinese fleet.[3] With the Shandong and Liaoning peninsulas under Japanese control, the option for a pincer attack against the Chinese capital, Beijing, was now a possibility. This strategic threat forced the Chinese to sue for peace and led to the war's end in April 1895.[2]

  1. ^ Evans & Peattie 1997, p. 46.
  2. ^ a b Elleman 2001, p. 111.
  3. ^ Evans & Peattie 1997, pp. 47–48.