Battle of East Hunan

The Battle of East Hunan was a series of guerilla operations against Japan in the eastern part of Hunan in 1945.

Various OSS teams operated with Chinese guerillas in the southern part of eastern Hunan in 1945 against the Japanese including Team Muskrat, Team Dormouse and Team Elephant. The OSS 2nd Chinese commando made out of Americans and Chinese operated in the central part of eastern Hunan near Hengyang.

Team Muskrat's operations
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War of World War II
Date (1945-02-00) (1945-05-00)February – May 1945 (3 months and 1 day) Location South Hunan province, Republic of China
Belligerents
China United States OSS Team Muskrat	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Tan Marine captain Walter R. Mansfield
Strength
4 OSS SO teams, 800 guerillas
Casualties and losses
	277 Japanese casualties, 27 Japanese captured, 2 warehouses, 22 trucks, 3 artilery pieces, 2 sampans, 2 bridges destroyed

277 Japanese were killed by OSS Team Muskrat in Hunan.

Team Dormouse's operations
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War of World War II
Date (1945-07-28) (1945-08-14)July 28 – August 14, 1945 (2 weeks and 3 days) Location Somewhere between Guilin and Hengyang in South Hunan province, Republic of China
Belligerents
China United States OSS Team Muskrat	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Tan Major Benton McDonald (“Mac”) Austin
Strength
9 members of OSS Team "Dormouse", Chinese guerillas

The railroad between Guilin and Hengyang was attacked by the Chinese guerillas and OSS Team Dormouse on 28 July, 1945. They destonated 900 feet of track and attacked the Japanese guards. Japanese stayed in their pillboxes and posts out of fear of bazookas and submachine guns carried by Americans. On 11 August, they then blew up the railway a second time causing it to be crushed under 450 tons of dirt.

Blueberry Mission in Hunan
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War of World War II
Date (1945-07-00) (1945-08-00)July – August 1945 (1 month) Location Baoqing-Hengyang-Changsha area in central Hunan province, Republic of China
Belligerents
China United States "Blueberry" mission,, 2nd Chinese Commando	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Captain John E. Cook
Strength
20 Americans and 160 Chinese	300 Japanese
Casualties and losses
5 Chinese commandos dead and 8 Chinese wounded and 2 Americans wounded on 5 August	entire Japanese patrol squad killed by Captain Roy K. Rickerson before main operations started in July Over 30 Japanese corpses seen at the outpost, Americans later estimated almost 100 Japanese killed on the 5 August attack.

2nd Chinese commando made out of Americans and Chinese commandos set up HQ east of Hengyang at a Buddhist temple 50 miles away. Captain Roy K. Rickerson slaughtered a whole Japanese patrol squad before the main 2nd commando parachuted in.

The 2nd Chinese commando attacked a Japanese outpost of 300 men on 5 August, the Chinese suffered less dead (5 dead) compared to the Japanese (estimated by Americans at almost 100 dead with over 30 corpses visible at the scene) but did not take the outpost due to lack of support from Communist guerillas under General Wong and General Chiang.

The Communist guerillas led by Wong and 10th Chinese Army under General Chiang did not engage in the battle and observed the Chinese commando and American attack.

Team Elephant's operations
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War of World War II
Date (1945-06-10) (1945-08-12)June 10 – August 12, 1945 (2 months and 2 days) Location [[Dong'an County]|Dongan]], Lingling, Kiyang, Kweiyangshih in south Hunan province, Republic of China Result Guerillas disrupt Japanese retreat
Belligerents
China United States OSS Team Elephant	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Captain Yi Captain Walter Clark Hanna
Strength
10 OSS agents, 756 OSS trained Chinese guerillas , 15,000 Chinese guerillas in total including those with no training	200,000 Japanese in total retreating through the guerilla zone
Casualties and losses
Several dozen guerillas killed and injured	2 beheaded Japanese seen before the Americans joined operations 257 killed by airstrikes called in by guerillas 764 killed and executed, 99 wounded in ground fighting on the Japanese side before 10 August Over 150 killed on 10-12 August solely by Chinese guerillas after Americans stopped fighting large damage to Japanese infrastructure and vehicles

OSS Team Elephant operated under W. C. Hanna with Chinese guerillas in the Dong'an County (Tungan)-Lingling, Yongzhou (Lingling)-Qiyang (Kiyang)-Guiyang County (Kweiyangshih) area of southern Hunan and conducted smash and grab raids against Japanese positions and called in airstrikes against the retreating Japanese. They named their sector the Tongan-Lingling-Kiyang Self Protective Area.

Japanese were in full retreat after their defeats at the Battle of West Hunan and Second Guangxi Campaign with guerillas ordered to inflict as much damage as possible to the Japanese.

Operations

2 translators, 2 radio men, Sergeants H. V. Palmer and R.E. Baird, 3 Leiutenants under the command of Former Jedburgh Captian Walter C. Hanna Jr. made up OSS Team Elephant. They walked to an area in Hunan 5 miles away from Qiyang to meet Chinese guerillas. The Chinese guerillas presented 2 Japanese heads from a recent beheading done on Japanese prisoners, which was a widepsread practice along with torture. Hanna wrote a report of Japanese losses inflicted by the team but was frequently denied supply and support by the Kunming based OSS headquarters whom he expressed anger at in his post-battle report.

=Summary of Team Elephant and Chinese Guerillas Operations by Captain Hanna

Captain Hanna wrote a report after the war was over which summarised all operations by Team Elephant and associated Chinese guerillas below:

A Japanese airfield, 200 50 pound bombs, a ferry, 6 buildings, 20 telephone lines, 1 telegraph wire, 70 gas barrels, 5 bridges, 22 trucks, 5 coaches, 3 train engines, 501 railroads were destroyed by Team Elephant and Chinese guerillas and 1,400 pounds of telephone wire was seized. 257 Japanese were killed by planes called in by Team Elephant, 764 killed and executed and 99 wounded on the Japanese side by Team elephant and Chinese guerillas. Americans were ordered to stop fighting on 10 August, but since Japanese continued attacking, the Chinese guerillas killed over 150 more Japanese after that. Hanna said that he was denied a V. F. H. radio for over two and a half months, and that more than 200,000 Japanese were retreating through their region and that if he had been equipped with the ratio earlier he could have directed a humongous slaughter of the Japanese at he hands of fighters and bombers. He was also denied 2 L-5 planes to attack Japanese headquarters and convoys and also denied ammunition for destroying 760 telephone poles and 1,000 rails between Hengyang and Dong'an on 4 August. Captain Hanna also attacked Major Thomas West, who was in charge of giving orders to Special Operations guerilla squads in Changsha-Hengyang, accusing him of giving unclear orders and of ordering the SO teams to not take Hengyang city from Japan which all the SO teams wanted to do.

Chinese guerillas in Guiyang county sniped 5 Japanese to death on 11 June.

On 17 June they blew up a Japanese airfield and destroyed two hundred 50 pounds bombs, a garage, two tanks and 55 gas barrels in the attack with 500 pounds of TNT

They then killed 38 Japanese in Guiyang county town.

78 Japanese were kiled by 30 Chinese guerillas under Captain Yi when a train carrying Japanese soldiers was detonated with TNT on 23 June.

Captian Hanna asked for Very pistols to help signal bombing a parts factory in Qiyang before it was transferred to Hengyang, but the Air Corps provided none despite telling them they would, on 11-23 June.

11 Japanese were killed and 7 Chinese guerillas were killed and 9 wounded in a Japanese attack against the guerillas at Buyunqiao (Pu-yun-chiao).

9 Japanese were killed on 13 June and 8 were killed on 14 June.

For the rest of the month in Guiyang county, Chinese kept on killing Japanese with 246 Japanese casualties.

Team Elephant collected data on the destruction of a pontoon bridge and Japanese deaths in Qiyang during a US Air Corps aerial bombing on 17 June. One the same day 40 Japanese were killed by the fighter planes escorting supplies parachuted to Team Elephant.

Data taken from interrogation of a Japanese POW along with coordinates on a Guiyang county Japanese rice storage facility that contained 65 tons was transmitted to OSS on 20 June. Air Corps bombing destroyed 10 tons instead of all 65 due to failure to listen to Team Elephant's precise orders on what time to conduct the raids. 75 Japanese were killed in the next 3 days by 250 guerillas stationed in Guiyang.

31 Japanese were killed and 7 Chinese guerillas were killed in a Japanese attack "30 miles north" of Qiyang at "Huan Tu Fu". A son of the Battallion 00 was kidnapped but a Chinese puppet released him from Japanese custody alive. Team Elephant asked for reincorments which were denied after malaria infected Captian Mants.

Team Elephant received only 20 1903 rifles and 20 carbines after asking for 250 of both types of guns on 26 June.

2 drivers of Japanese trucks in Qiyang were killed along with their trucks. 8 Japanese were founded and 5 Japanese killed to in northern Qiyang on 27 June.

At 1 mile to Pai Ti Shih's north, 2 carriages on a train were destroyed with the rest of the train derailed when a bridge was destroyed and 280 rails were destroyed on 30 June near Hungchiao and Longshantang by 150 guerillas and Corporal Mar was injured.

The 58th, 37th, 34th, 13th and 3rd Japanese divisions, more than 50,000 troops, retreated north along the area Team Elephant operated in.

Team Elephant planed a succesful mass attack on railways on 4 July and started attacks to distract the Japanese in the days before that. They inflicted 7 casualties on Japanese in southern Lingling. 14 guerillas and 56 Japanese were killed in northeast Qiyang and a ferry destroyed in Qiyang and at Pai Ti Shih 11 Japanese were killed on 2 July.

OSS command denied a request by Team Elephant for munitions to blow up a Japanese airfield and ignored a request by Team Elephant for Captian Mils Brandeis to lead an OG team to reinforce them.

OSS dropped supplies with no weapons on 18 July. Chinese guerillas lost 6 men while killing 35 Japanese in a Japanese attack on 7 July. Team Elephant asked OSS leadership to send more reinforcements since they could not deploy troops and stand by for airdrops at the same time.

500 Japanese disguised as civilian merchants came to stalk them. 30 Japanese were killed by Chinese guerilla mortars and in a seperate battle, 7 Japanese were killed by Chinese guerillas wielding swords and bayonets who ambushed a Japanese trench that was armed with a heavy machine gun and the Japanese were forced to flee. 12 Chinese guerillas died.

The Japanese 13th Division sent 3,000 soldiers against 1,000 Chinese guerillas and Team Elephant on 13 July so Team Elephant left with 150 Chinese guerillas and 850 Chinese stayed behind to delay the Japnaese. Team Elephant succesfully evacuated and shifted headquarters to the north and destroyed all ammunition, equipment and food they could not carry. OSS headquarters had ignored requests for heavy mortars by Team Elephant which they needed. The Japanese lost 110-250 during their attack on Team Elephant headquarters. The Chinese guerillas remaining behind tied up 2,000 Japanese. Only 1,000 Japanese were able to pursue Team Elephant.

They stumbled across a Japnese patrol of 25 men and a convoy, the Japanese briefly seized their discarded radio but 20 Chinese guerillas and Sergeant Palmer recovered the radio after ambushing the Japanese who lost several casualties.

They came to an area northeast of Wenmingpu by 9 miles and set up a new HQ and training school on 23 July and plotted more attacks on 26 July. Chinese guerillas destroyed a 150 gallon carrying truck and kiled 16 Japanese at Tai Fai Feng on 16 July.

At Chilunechieh a Japanese truck and 2 bridges were destroyed on 17 and 18 July with a driver, and a Japanese lieutenant and Japanese major killed. 1,400 pounds of tetephone wire and a puppet soldier were seized 12 kilometers south of Hengyang

9 guerillas became casualties and 32 Japanese were killed in southern Lingling during a guerilla attack on a Japanese convoy by Tsia Lee and guerillas commandedby Team Elephant on 20 July, to distract the 1,400 Japanese at Lichiading on 20 July.

An 81 mm mortar and Lieutenant Hairston were airdropped on 26 July. Team Elephant then heard that the American Team Ermine member Cline was beheaded. 12 Japanese prisoners were executed by Team Elephant in retaliation.

Team Elephant transmitted data on a Japanese convoy of 200 trucks to the Air Corps. 240 men were sent to reinforcement Team Elephant for amubushes. Team Elephant planned a new attack on the railway from Dong'an to Hengyang and asked for supplies like L-5 planes on 28 July.

A small amount of TNT was sent from Formen headquarters to Team Elephant on 31 July.

On 1 August they had to change their planned operation to a smaler plan and attack the railway and telephone lines from Hengyang to Hungchiao and from Tongan to Lichiaping. They aked a separate team to work with them under Maj. Camp which they did on 6 July. These coordinated attacks helped bewilder the Japanese as to how many and where the Americans were.

12 Japanese were killed in southern Lingling on 1 August. OSS aidropped an incomplete VHR radio and .03 and 70 carbines. Team Elephant was extremely angry at the signal men for dropping a useless radio. Team Elephant still had no time pencils or safety fuses available. 20 Chinese from Qiyang and 20 Chinese from Lingling finished their demolition courses at the school.

Team Elephant sent data on a Japanese bridge being built in Qiyang in additon to the location of Japanese Major General Chwan Kou (Chinese transcription of Japanese name) and anti-aircraft guns to Air Corps.

4 Japanese were wounded and 8 Japanese were killed in souhern Wenmingpu on 1 August when attempting to find the new Team Elephant HQ. 5 guerillas were wounded, 9 guerillas killed and 8 Japanese were wounded and 32 Japanese were killed on 7 August by 110 Chinese guerillas in Wenmingpu. Hanna explicitly referred to Japanese killed as casualties and did not include wounded in casualties.

Team Elephant was slooking for a place to operate their VHF, and the scouts they sent to find one found out that the Japanese were fleeing the area and packing up their telephone lines. Team Elephant decided to disrupt the retreat by attacking a railway one more time 11 August. Team Elephant atacked 3 miles south of Lichiaping, derailing a Japanes train and making 100 cuts in the railway.

Multiple Japanese truckes broke down in the middle of a road due to sabotage at Lingling by Team elephant against 10 trucks from 1-5 August.

4 Japanese were wounded and 4 Japanese were killed when a barracks was detonated in Qiyang on 9 August. 7 Japanese were wounded and 4 Japanese killed 3 miles northeast of Qiyang at a headquarters that was detonated and in Lichiaping 2 Japanese trucks were detonated on 11 August.

2 store houses, 12 gas barrels at a gas dump 10 miles northeast of Lingling were destroyed, to the right of the Wu Kai river 2 Japanese trucks were detonated, a Japanese truck and 2 Japanese drivers were killed 6 kilometers east of Lichiaping on the Hunan bridge and at Niao Shan Chiang 1 mile of telephone wire was destroyed on 12 August.

Hanna said more than 20 trucks were destroyed after this when he stopped recording everything.

Japan sent reinforcements from Baoqing (Paoching) and 500 trops from Qiyang to reinforce Wenmingpu so on 7 August, Team Elephant sent newly graduated Chinese ambushers to the region.

Four Chinese guerillas were wounded and 18 lilled, while 28 Japanese were wounded and 52 Japanese killed on 9 August in fighting in Wenmingpu. Team Elephant sent the 81st mm mortar in that battle.

American command sent orders on 10 August for Americans in Team Elephant to stop fighting. However, the Chinese guerillas continued killing Japanese until 12 August, killing more than 150 Japanese.