“Battle of Taiyuan Castle” propaganda postcard, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, 1937.

See also:
“Standing watch”, 2nd Sino-Japanese War, c. 1940.
“The Battle of the Railway Corps”, 2nd Sino-Japanese War, c. 1940.

The Japanese offensive called the Battle of Taiyuan was a major battle fought in 1937 between China and Japan named for Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province. “Taiyuan was a critical industrial and transportation hub in northern China, with coal mines and railway connections that were vital for controlling the region. It was also the political and military center of Shanxi Province.

Despite having a numerical advantage, the the Chinese National Revolutionary Army (N.R.A.) were poorly equipped. The Imperial Japanese Army deployed well-trained and heavily equipped forces, including artillery, tanks, and air support.

The battle concluded in a victory for Japan over the N.R.A., including part of Suiyuan, most of Shanxi, and the N.R.A. arsenal at Taiyuan, which effectively ended large-scale organized resistance in the North China area.

Occupation of the territories gave the Japanese access to coal from Datong in northern Shanxi. It also exposed them to attacks by the guerrilla forces of the N.R.A. including the Eighth Route Army, tying down many Japanese troops who could have been diverted to other campaigns of the Second Sino-Japanese War.