The Battle of Changde occurred in 1943-1944, when, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the IJA 11th Army assaulted, briefly captured, and ultimately withdrew from the Chinese city of Changde in Hunan.
General Isamu Yokoyama aimed to maintain pressure on the Chinese National Revolutionary Army and reduce its ability to reinforce the Burma campaign, and he deployed 60,000 troops to attack the city of Changde from the north and east. On 14 November, the IJA 13th Division broke through the defensive lines of the 10th and 29th Army Groups, and they were reinforced by airborne forces on 16 November. Yu Chengwan's 8,000-strong NRA 57th Division stubbornly defended Changde against two invading Japanese divisions, inflicting heavy losses over eleven days and nights of fierce fighting. The Japanese utilized bacteria-infected bombs to terrorize the city's population and force civilians to evacuate, but they were pinned down by the KMT soldiers long enough for Chinese reinforcements to help the 57th Division break out. The Chinese recaptured Deshan on 29 November, forcing the Japanese to utilize chemical weapons in the city. On 13 December, depleted of food and ammunition, the Japanese were forced to retreat. The Chinese pursued them for more than 20 days, and the Japanese withdrew to their starting positions by 5 January.
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