The 200th Division ({{zh, t=第200師, s=第200师, w=Ti 200 Shih, p=Dì 200 Shī) was the first
mechanised division in the
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in China ...
. It was created in 1938 by General
Du Yuming
Du Yuming (; 28 November 1904 – 7 May 1981), was a Kuomintang field commander. He was a graduate of the first class of Whampoa Academy, took part in Chiang's Northern Expedition, and was active in southern China and in the Burma theatre of the ...
, who was also its first commander. Its first action was against the Japanese
14th Division in the
Battle of Lanfeng
The Battle of Lanfeng (), in the Second Sino-Japanese War, was part of the larger campaign for Northern and Eastern Henan (February 7 – June 10, 1938) and took place at the same time as the Battle of Xuzhou (Late December – Early June 1938) ...
.
Original organization (January 1938)
200th Division
*1149th Regiment (Tank Regiment)
*1150th Regiment (Tank Regiment)
*1151st Regiment (Armoured Car Regiment)
*1152nd Regiment (Mechanized Infantry)
*52nd Artillery Regiment
Equipment
The Tank regiments had 70
T-26
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light tank used during many conflicts of the Interwar period and in World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and was one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s until its light ...
, 4
BT-5
The BT tanks (russian: Быстроходный танк/БТ, translit=Bystrokhodnyy tank, lit. "fast moving tank" or "high-speed tank") were a series of Soviet light tanks produced in large numbers between 1932 and 1941. They were lightly arm ...
, 20 ( 92? )
CV-33 tanks,
AMR 35
The Automitrailleuse de Reconnaissance Renault Modèle 35 Type ZT (AMR 35 or Renault ZT) was a French light tank developed during the Interbellum and used in the Second World War. It was not intended to reconnoitre and report as its name suggest ...
tanks. The armoured car regiment had around 50
BA armoured cars and 12 ( 18? )
Leichter Panzerspähwagen
The ''Leichter Panzerspähwagen'' (German: "light armoured reconnaissance vehicle") was a series of light four-wheel drive armoured cars produced by Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1944.
Development history
The Sd.Kfz. 221 was the first in a series of ...
(Sd Kfz 221) armoured cars. Besides, it had more than 400 Ford trucks. The motorised infantry regiment used Soviet trucks and rifles, and the artillery regiment had 12 122 mm
howitzer
A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
s, also 45 mm
anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
and 75 mm
field gun
A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artille ...
s.
Following the Divisions combats in May in the
Battle of Lanfeng
The Battle of Lanfeng (), in the Second Sino-Japanese War, was part of the larger campaign for Northern and Eastern Henan (February 7 – June 10, 1938) and took place at the same time as the Battle of Xuzhou (Late December – Early June 1938) ...
and in operations afterward until September 1938, the division's original subordinate mechanized units were placed under direct command of the 5th Army, and the division was reorganized as a motorised infantry division of about 9000 men due to the June 1938 reorganization of Divisions.
Organization (October 1938)
200th Division (Major-General
Dai Anlan
Dai Anlan (; 25 November 1904 – 26 May 1942) was a major general of the Republic of China. As commander of the 200th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Kunlun Pass and the Battle of Toungoo d ...
)
*598th Regiment
*599th Regiment
*600th Regiment
It was next sent as reinforcement to the first Battle of Changsha but was never engaged. The armoured and artillery Regiments were placed under direct command of 5th Army and the 200th Division became a motorized Infantry Division within the same Army with the
1st Honor Division. The 200th Division participated with 5th Corps against the Japanese invasion of
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
, in the defense of
Nanning
Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of ...
, and in the devastating victory against the Japanese in the
Battle of Kunlun Pass, wiping out an entire Japanese brigade. It suffered heavy losses after the battle at Kunlun Pass in an offensive against Batang, losing nearly two-thirds of its strength.
Rebuilt and reorganized, the division participated in the
Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
in early 1942 and in the
Burma campaign. The 200th Division distinguished itself in fighting in the
Battle of Toungoo
The Battle of Toungoo was one of the key battles in the Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road in the Burma Campaign of World War II and Second Sino-Japanese War. The failure of the Chinese to hold the city of Toungoo opened up the route for the Japanese ...
and the
Battle of Hopong - Taunggyi but suffered a disastrous defeat in the
Battle of Hsipaw-Mogok Highway
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
near the end of the campaign as it was attempting to retreat to China. Its commanding officer,
Dai Anlan
Dai Anlan (; 25 November 1904 – 26 May 1942) was a major general of the Republic of China. As commander of the 200th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Kunlun Pass and the Battle of Toungoo d ...
, died of wounds suffered in that battle while being carried by the remnants of his force as it made its way back to China.
Sources
Elite Troops of the National Revolutionary Army, the 200th Division
Divisions of the National Revolutionary Army
C