Over 80 years ago in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Chinese troops teamed up with American volunteer pilots in a key battle against Japanese invading forces during World War II, ensuring the flow of much-needed supplies.
In May 1942, the Japanese army invaded western parts of Yunnan, capturing the west bank of the Nujiang River. The Yunnan-Myanmar Road, also known as "Burma Road," -- China's only international land supply route -- was completely severed, making it nearly impossible for urgently needed wartime supplies to reach China.
In May 1944, to reclaim the lost territory and reopen the vital supply route, the Chinese Expeditionary Force, in coordination with the Chinese Army in India, launched a full-scale counteroffensive, with the goal of achieving a rendezvous at the China-Burma border. They broke through numerous defense lines and eventually besieged Yunnan's Tengchong, a city which was about to become a key battleground in China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
On August 2, 1944, the battle of Tengchong began.
"The biggest challenge in retaking the city was the walls. The Expeditionary Forces couldn't breach them as they were too solid. The American planes bombed breaches into the walls, allowing our troops to break through and begin the assault," said Ma Juan, director of the Memorial of Western Yunnan War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
During the two years of occupation, the Japanese transformed Tengchong into a fortress by fortifying buildings and streets, digging trenches and bunkers, and even modifying a large brass bell by carving out three gun ports.
Chinese soldiers used flamethrowers and bazookas to destroy enemy strongholds and machine-gun nests. They breached walls with explosives, fighting house to house, street by street.
The local civilians also took part in the resistance as well. They acted as guides, transported food, and provided vital logistical support to the Expeditionary Force.
"Every household near Tengchong City welcomed the soldiers. They cooked for them every day and treated them like their own kids. One day, they prepared a whole table of food, but not a single soldier came back. The villagers could only sit and stare at that untouched meal, weeping in silence," Ma said.
On September 14, 1944, after over 40 days of scorched-earth battle, over 6,000 Japanese troops were wiped out and Tengchong was finally reclaimed. The Chinese Expeditionary Force suffered over 18,000 casualties, with 9,168 killed in action. A total of 19 American soldiers also lost their lives.
In 2004, Clifford Long, a Flying Tigers veteran who had bombed the city wall during the battle, returned to Tengchong in his 80s.
"The short period of time that he was in China was one of the most meaningful parts of his life. Through cooperation we can achieve great things," Clifford Ray Long II, vice president of Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, said about his father at a Flying Tigers exhibition in Guangzhou this July.
The victory in western parts of Yunnan inspired Chinese people to keep fighting. With the Burma Road reopened, Allied supplies once again flowed into China, supporting battlefronts across the country.
Today, a martyrs' cemetery stands in Tengchong to honor the fallen soldiers and civilians who perished in the battle. On August 15, the 80th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender in Word War II, the Memorial of Western Yunnan War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression reopened after months of renovation, presenting an important page of history in modern formats to locals and visitors.
Brave Chinese, Americans fighting in Battle of Western Yunnan remembered after 80 years
