Battle of Xinkou The Battle of Xinkou ( ) was the second of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino - Japanese War . Prelude . After battles at Nankou , the Chahar Expeditionary Force of the Japanese Kwangtung Army occupied Datong in Shanxi province , and began their assault on the Yenbei area . The Japanese Fifth Division started their attack from Hebei marching eastwards and taking the towns of Guanglin , Linchou , Hungyuan in northwest Shanxi . By late September , the Japanese commander Itagaki Seishiro ordered the fifth division and the Chahar Expeditionary Force to begin attacking the Chinese defense line along the inner Great Wall in Shanxi . The Commander of the 2nd War Zone , Yan Xishan , ordered Chinese troops to retreat and set up a defense line in Niangziguan and Pingxingguan . Even after the Eighth Route Army led by Lin Biao successfully ambushed the Japanese at the Battle of Pingxingguan , the Chinese defenders suffered heavy casualties under Japanese artillery and tank assaults and were forced to retreat to Wutaishan to set up another defense line at Xinkou . The Battle of Xinkou . Yan Xishan gathered all available Chinese troops under his command to make a stand at Xinkou , because this location is flanked by Wutaishan and Yunzhonshan , which is favorable for the defenders and is also a gateway to Taiyuan , the capital of Shanxi . On October 1 , Japanese central command ordered Itagaki Seishiro to lead the Fifth Division and Chahar Expeditionary Force for the final assault on Taiyuan . On the same day , the military commission of the Chinese Nationalist government ordered the 14th Group Army ( commanded by Wei Lihuang ) to fight the Japanese at Xinkou . The 14th Group Army , along with Yan Xishan ’ s eight armies , organized a frontal defense of Xinkou , while the 18th Group Army ( without the 120th division ) and 101st division , 73rd division and the newly formed 2nd Division organized the defense on the right flank along the Sutou River ’ s south bank , commanded by Zhu De , while one division was sent to the enemy ' s rear to harass their left flank . The 6th Group Army organized into two divisions and one brigade , comprised the Chinese defense on the left flank along with the 120th division ( commanded by Yang Aiyuan ) , which concentrated their forces at Heiyu and Yangfangkou , while one division was sent to the enemy ' s rear to harass their right flank . The 34th and 35th Armies were in reserve , commanded by Fu Zuoyi , to control the Dingxiang and Xinxian area . On October 2 , the 2nd brigade from the Chahar Expeditionary Force started their attack on Gouxian ( now Gouyangxian ) , and the 19th Army ’ s Chinese defenders held off the attack until October 9 , by then the Gouxian had fallen into Japanese hands . The 15th brigade from the Chahar Expeditionary Force marched around Gouxian and attacked Yuanping , and engaged the 34th Army ’ s 196 brigade , led by Jiang Yuzhen . After intense close - quarter combat , the defending Chinese soldiers were wiped out and the Japanese took Yuanping on October 12 . By this time , the invading forces were ready to make their move on Xinkou . Due to the unfavorable developments on the battlefields , Chinese commander Wei Lihuang had to re - organize the defense line on October 2 . He positioned the 9th , 61st , and 35th Armies to form the central defense line , holding their position along the Xinkou mountains passes ; while the 14th Army , 71st and 66th Divisions commanded by Li Mo ' an formed the left flank , controlling the Yunzhongshan area . Finally , the 33rd , 17th and 15th Armies formed the right flank , controlling Wutaishan . On October 13 , Itagaki Seishiro led 50 , 000 Japanese troops on a major assault against Xinkou . The 5th Division was on the left wing , and concentrated their attack on Nanhuaihua ; while the 15th Brigade was on the right wing , focusing their efforts on Dabaishui , with the 2nd Brigade was in the rear defending the inner Great Wall . The 5th Divisions used 30 + airplanes , 40 + heavy artilleries , 50 + tanks to flank the infantry ’ s assault ; while the Chinese central defense forces used the favorable terrain to put up stiff resistances despite a lack of firepower . The Xinkou battles rages on for days , with the Nanhuahua position changing hands many times . On October 16 the Chinese central defense force begin a major counter - attack to take the high grounds at Nanhuahua , during this battle the commander of the 9th Army Hao Mengling became the first Chinese army general to be killed in action during the Second Sino - Japanese War . Despite his death , the 61st Army commander Chen Zhangjie and subsequently the 19th Army commander Wang Jingguo continued to lead the defense of Xinkou and successfully held their defensive positions . During this time , the Communists ’ Eighth Route Army executed several guerrilla attacks in the Japanese troops rear at Lingqiu , Guangling , Weixian , Pingxingguan , Ningwu and Yanmenguan . On the evening of October 19 , the 769 Regiment of the 120th Division attacked Yangmingbao airbase , and successfully destroyed 24 Japanese airplanes on the ground . By this time the Japanese had suffered close to 20 , 000 casualties without making much progress on their assault of Xinkou . Therefore the Japanese Northern China Area Army had to add three additional regiments on October 22 , 27 and 29 , to assist in the attack of Nanhauhua . However , the Japanese troops still could not take this important position and had to re - direct their attack to Dabaishui , and the Chinese defenders were able to fight the Japanese to a stalemate . The Defense of Niangziguan . The military commission of the Chinese Nationalist government ordered troops of the 1st War Zone to relocate and set up defense at Niangziguan , with the 17th and 30th Divisions defending the center , 3rd Army positioned at the right wing and 14th Group Army on the left wing . The Chinese commander for this operation was assigned to Huang Shaohong , the deputy commander of the 2nd War Zone . On October 11 , the 20th division of the Japanese army captured Jingxing . The Japanese only used some troops to attack Niangziguan , while their main force marched around and captured Jiuguan . With the defenders at Niangziguan effectively surrounded at this time , Yan Xishan hasty ordered the 26th Army led by Sun Lianzhong stationed at northern Shanxi to move to Niangziguan and organized and conducted counter - attacks , but did not retake Jingxing as planned . On October 21 , the 20th division was reinforced by the 109th division and continued their attack on Niangziguan from the south , aided by Japanese bombers and fighters . On October 26 , four Japanese commando battalions were able to break through the Chinese 3rd Army defense at Ceyuzhen , and breach the Niangziguan defense line . The Chinese forces were forced to retreat to Taiyuan , and were chased by the Japanese attackers along the Shijiazhuang – Taiyuan railways . On November 11 , the Japanese troops captured Shouyang after repelling an ambush by the 41st Army . By this time , all Chinese troops at Xinkou were ordered to retreat to Taiyuan to avoid being encircled by the enemy , and the Japanese army had finally won the battle of Xinkou . Conclusion . The battle of Xinkou marked the first large - scale cooperation between the provincial army ( Yan Xishan ’ s Shanxi troops ) , Chinese Communists ( Eighth Route Army ) , and Chiang Kaishek ’ s Central Army ( 14th Group Army ) during the Second Sino - Japanese War . Although the Chinese defenders fought bravely on a united front against the enemy during this campaign , they had a large shortage of firepower , especially with the ill - equipped 8th route army . A personal account of General Li Mo ' an stated that the only weapon the Chinese infantry had against Japanese tanks was Molotov cocktails , and many defenders on the left flank were simply run over by tanks . After this battle and the subsequent battle around the city of Taiyuan , the Chinese effectively lost control of northern China and resistance was reduced to minor guerrilla attacks behind enemy lines . However , because the communists and nationalists co - operated well and the Japanese also took serious losses , many Chinese were inspired to join the fight against the Japanese invaders , especially when Jiang Yuzhen and other officers were martyred . In conclusion , the Chinese forces ultimately lost the battle , paying the price of 100 , 000 troops dead , injured or missing , and were forced to retreat . However , they were able to kill some 20 , 000 Japanese troops , wound thousands more , and destroy dozens of tanks and more than 24 aircraft , setting a record high for the scale of damage inflicted to the Japanese in a single battle in Northern China .