Battle of West Hubei

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Battle of West Hubei
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific Theater of World War II
Date (1943-05-05) (1943-06-11)May 5 – June 11, 1943 (1 month and 6 days) Location West Hubei, China 29°9′20″N 112°14′43″E / 29.15556°N 112.24528°E / 29.15556; 112.24528 Result Chinese strategic victory: Withdrawal of Imperial Japanese Armed Forces from West Hubei to their initial position
Belligerents
China  United States (air support only)	Empire of Japan
Commanders and leaders
Chen Cheng Sun Lianzhong Hu Lien Wang Zuanxu Luo Guangwen Fang Tien Song Kendang Gao Zhuodong Mu Ting-Fang	Isamu Yokoyama Takeshi Takashina Yamamoto Mitsuo Akashika Tadashi Sumida Raishiro Aoki Seiichi
Units involved
National Revolutionary Army 6th War Area 41 divisions from : 86th Army 10th Army Group 87th Army 94th Army Total : 6 divisions 26th Army Group 75th Army 66th Army Total : 5 divisions 29th Army Group 44th Army 67th Army 73rd Army Total : 9 divisions 33rd Army Group 59th Army 77th Army 79th Army 30th Army Total : 12 divisions 26th Army 99th Army River defense force 32nd Army 18th Army 11th Division 18th Division 8 divisions from other support units : Artillery units  Republic of China Navy  Republic of China Air Force Bombardment Group 5 bombardment groups Pursuit Group 4 pursuit groups United States Army Air Force 23rd Fighter Group 4 squadrons 11th Bombardment Squadron	Imperial Japanese Army 11th Army Divisions 3rd Division 13th Division 39th Division 40th Division Brigade/Detachments 17th Independent Mixed Brigade Haragaya detachment (34th Division) Nozoe Detachment (58th Division) Imperial Japanese Army Air Service 44th Air Regiment  Imperial Japanese Navy
Strength
280,000	120,000
Casualties and losses
23,550 killed 18,295 wounded 7,270 missing[1]: 137	25,000 killed and wounded 40 aircraft destroyed 122 naval vessels damaged or sunk[2]
class=notpageimage| Location within Hubei Show map of Hubei Battle of West Hubei (China) Show map of China

The Battle of West Hubei (simplified Chinese: 鄂西会战; traditional Chinese: 鄂西會戰; pinyin: È Xī Huìzhàn), was one of 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was also one of four major battles that took place in Hubei.

The battle resulted in a Chinese strategic victory, although they lost more troops than the Japanese Army. Historian Barbara W. Tuchman, however, writes that the "Japanese withdrew without pursuit from what appeared to have been a training and foraging offensive to collect rice and river shipping."^[3] However, he also states that the battle ended in a tactical draw. The Chinese government reported that the Chinese had scored a major victory.^[4] Japanese troops retreated to their former positions.