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1938 Yellow River flood

The 1938 Yellow River flood (simplified Chinese: 花园口决堤事件; traditional Chinese: 花園口決堤事件; pinyin: Huāyuánkǒu Juédī Shìjiàn; lit. 'Huayuankou Dam Burst Incident') was a man-made flood from June 1938 to January 1947 created by the Chinese National Army's intentional destruction of dikes (levees) on the Yellow River in Huayuankou, Henan Province. The first wave of floods hit Zhongmu County on 13 June 1938.

The flood acted as a scorched-earth defensive line in the Second Sino-Japanese War.[1][2][3] There were three long-term strategic intents. Firstly, the flood in Henan safeguarded the Shaanxi section of the Longhai railway, the major northwest traffic where the Soviet Union sent their military supplies to the Chinese National Army from August 1937 to March 1941.[4][5] Secondly, the inundated land and railway made it difficult for the Japanese Army to mobilize into Shaanxi, thereby preventing them from entering the Sichuan basin, where the wartime capital of Chongqing and the southwestern home front was located.[6] Thirdly, the floods in Henan and Anhui crushed the tracks and bridges of the Beijing–Wuhan Railway, Tianjin–Pukou Railway and Longhai Railway, thereby preventing the Japanese Army from mobilizing their machines and troops across the theaters of North China, Central China and Northwest China.[7] The short term strategic intent was to stop the quick mobilization of Japanese Army from North China into the Battle of Wuhan.[7][8][9][10]


The flood achieved the above strategic intent; in particular, the Japanese Operation 5 never captured Shaanxi, Sichuan or Chongqing. However, the flood came at enormous human cost, economic damages and environmental impact; in the immediate aftermath, 30,000 to 89,000 civilians drowned in Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces,[11][12][13] while a total of 400,000 to 500,000 civilians died from drowning, famine and plague.[14][15] The Yellow River was diverted to a new course over swathes of farmland until the repair of the dykes in January 1947. Five million civilians lived on such inundated land until 1947.[15] Inspired by the strategic outcome, dykes elsewhere in China, especially along the Yangtze, were later destroyed by the Chinese and the Japanese.[1]

Effect on the war[edit]

Long term[edit]

The flood had three long-term strategic intents.


Firstly, the flood in Henan safeguarded the Shaanxi section of the Longhai railway, the major northwest traffic where the Soviet Union sent their military supplies to the Chinese National Army from August 1937 to March 1941.[4][5] Once the German arms export to the Chinese National Army stopped in April 1938, the Soviet Union became the biggest arms exporter to China until the United States joined.[4]


Secondly, the inundated land across Henan and the flooded tracks of the Beijing–Wuhan Railway made it difficult for the Japanese Army to mobilize into Shaanxi. Throughout Chinese military history, Shaanxi is always the major path to Sichuan (known as "Shudao" in historiography) and the Japanese plan to enter the Sichuan basin was no different. Securing Sichuan is important since it was where the wartime capital of Chongqing and the southwestern home front located.[4]


Thirdly, the floods in Henan and Anhui crushed the tracks and bridges of the Beijing–Wuhan Railway, Tianjin–Pukou Railway and Longhai Railway. This prevented the Japanese Army from quick mobilizing their machines and troops across the theaters of North China, Central China and Northwest China.[7]


The flood achieved the above strategic intent along with casualties and damages. Believing that the civilians would help them, the Chinese Communists turned the flooded area into a recruiting ground, directing survivors' anger towards a common enemy to bring them into their ranks. By the 1940s the area had evolved into a major guerrilla base known as the Yuwansu Base Area.[23]

Short term[edit]

The Chinese National Army took the opportunities to encircle the swamped Japanese army. The 14th division was swamped in Zhongmu County and could only reassemble on 23 June. The isolated 16th was crushed by the Chinese National Army in Weishi County on 24 June and could only reassemble on 7 July.[8]


Most of the flooded towns and transport lines had already been captured by the Japanese; after the flood, the Japanese could not consolidate their control over the area. In fact, large parts of it became guerrilla areas.[23]


The flood bought time for the Battle of Wuhan.[24][9] The flood stopped the Japanese Army from capturing the Zhengzhou junction of the Beijing–Wuhan Railway.[8] Unintentionally, the flood also destroyed the Bengbu railway bridge of the Tianjin–Pukou Railway.[24] The Japanese thus could not use either railway to send its troops and supplies.[24]

Damages[edit]

After the flooding, the Yellow River was diverted from its earlier course at Huayuankou, and flowed into the Jialu River in Zhongmu County. The new course led the Yellow River into the Shaying River at the city of Zhoujiakou (now Zhoukou), eventually joining the Huai River. Water overflowed from these smaller rivers, causing widespread destruction in the basin. According to a postwar report, floods inundated 32 percent of land and 45 percent of villages in 20 affected counties.[25]


Besides the massive death toll, the flooded areas were affected for years to come. The flooded countryside was more or less abandoned and all the crops destroyed. Upon the recession of the waters, much of the ground was uncultivable as much of the soil was covered in silt. Many of the public structures and housing were also destroyed, leaving any survivors destitute. The irrigation channels were also ruined, further adding to the toll on the farmlands.[23] The destruction also had a long-term psychological effect on the Chinese population.


The Nationalist government were slow to provide disaster relief.[26]: 40 

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List of disasters in China by death toll

Military history of China

Military history of Japan

Military of the Republic of China