Pang Bingxun
Encyclopedia
Pang Bingxun (October 25, 1879- January 12, 1963) was a high-ranking nationalist commander who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army
and Chinese Communist Army. He was best known for having stopped the IJA 5th Division led by General Seishirō Itagaki, one of the principal architects of the Manchurian incident from capturing Linyi
and converge with General Rensuke Isogai
's IJA 10th Division at Tai'erzhuang District
; thus foiled their plan to assault Xuzhou
. http://www.generals.dk/general_/China.html
. After graduating from the Manchurian surveying Academy, he was given a rank equivalent of a captain, but when the Xinhai Revolution
broke out in 1911 and his superiors suspected him as a revolutionary sympathizer and forced him to resign. After he returned home, Pang started several small businesses in order to make a living. In 1920, a bad drought hit his hometown and a famine broke out, he decided to take up military service again at the age of 41. So he entered the Northwestern Army
and served under a number of local warlords, and eventually became one of the best known military commanders in the North China Region. When Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek launched the Northern Expedition in 1926, Pang was serving under General Wu Peifu
, one of the most powerful warlords controlling Central and North China. Pang demonstrated his political shrewdness when he announced he was for the nationalist revolution and joined with General Tang Shengzhi
. After Chiang Kai Shek purged the communists in the Shanghai Massacre, the Wuhan Nationalist Government ordered Pang Bingxun to attack
Nanjing
, Pang instead joined General Feng Yuxiang
's Second Army Group and became a division commander in Feng's units.
He fought with courage and distinction for Feng Yuxiang in the Central Plains War
, but when General Zhang Xueliang
, Commander-in-chief of the Northeastern Border Defense Army, formerly known as the Fengtian clique
declared himself for Chiang Kai Shek, the anti-Chaing forces were quickly defeated. Pang again switched sides and declared himself for the Nationalist Government and became commander of the 40th corps. He participated in a number of actions against the Chinese Communist forces in Shaanxi
province and defended North China against the Imperial Japanese Army
led by Field Marshal Baron Nobuyoshi Mutō
in the Defense of the Great Wall
. In 1935, General Feng Yuxiang
and a number of his old colleagues were involved in the Actions in Inner Mongolia (1933–1936) against Japanese penetration of the region. Because President Chiang Kai Shek still held out hopes for a peaceful settlement with Japan. President Chiang sent War minister General He Yingqin
to disband Feng Yuxiang
's Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army
and named Pang Bingxun as Chairman of Chahar Province in order to appease the Japanese military leaders. The Nationalist Government made him a lieutenant general in 1936 and General Pang again supported Chiang Kai Shek during the Xi'an Incident
and joined the Second Sino-Japanese War
next year.
in North China. When Japanese forces struck in the
Battle of Beiping–Tianjin, he covered the retreated of General Song Zheyuan
's 29th Army into Shangdong Province. In December 1937 his unit became part of the 5th war zone under General Li Zongren
, and from March 16 to April 17, 1938 he and General Zhang Zizhong
fought a bloody defensive action against General Seishirō Itagaki and contributed to the Chinese victory in Battle of Taierzhuang
. After the Battle of Xuzhou
he was transferred again to North China, and engaged heavily against the Japanese forces in the region. He was promoted as commander-in-chief of the 24th Army Group and became provincial governor of Hebei
province. During his tenure as governor, his forces was clashed with the communist Eighth Route Army
and the two sides worked out a political settlement and armed confrontations eased soon afterwards. In 1941, the Japanese Northern China Area Army
under General Hayao Tada
launched Battle of South Shanxi
and nationalist forces lost this important battle. General Pang was already over 60 years old and asked to resign, But President Chiang Kai Shek turned down his request because experienced commanders were hard to find at the time. General Pang continued to harass and frustrate Japanese military presence in North China. In April 1943, 50,000 Japanese soldiers under General Yasuji Okamura
stepped up their military offensives against Chinese resistance in the region and achieved a decisive breakthrough against General Pang's defense areas and most of his units fled southward. But during the breakout from the Japanese attack, he lost touched with his Army headquarters and forced to hide in a cave. General Sun Dianying
, commander of 5th corps of Chinese puppet forces and a Japanese lieutenant captured him and forced him to surrender to Japan. General Pang was taken to the Japanese corps headquarters and on May 23, 1943 President Wang Jingwei
of the Nanjing regime appointed him as commander-in-chief of the 24 th Army Group. After he surrendered to Japan, the KMT government tried to win him back, and Pang agreed to rejoined the national resistance. But Japanese commanders discovered his plans and disbanded his units. In 1944 he was reassigned as to Hennan
as pacification director of Kaifeng
and he again contacted Chongqing
through The Investigation and Statistics Bureau
under Major General Dai Li
. So when the Japanese forces in China surrendered next year, President Chiang Kai Shek again appointed him as commander-in-chief of the vanguard forces, his mission was to prevent the region fell in to the hands of Chinese communists.
resumed, General Pang handed his unit to the Central government in nanjing. General Sun Dianying
was made commander of the 40th corps, while concurrently serving as commander-in-chief of the 24th Army Group. But during the People's Liberation Army
under Marshal Liu Bocheng
destroyed Pang and Sun's nationalist troops in the Handan Campaign
. General Pang was tasked to reorganize these broken units and he was named as a military advisor to the Ministry of National Defense (Republic of China) and went into retirement. Before the Chinese Communist forces under Marshal Lin Biao
took over North China he left Henan
for Nanjing
in 1948. After the Huaihai Campaign
he followed President Chiang Kai Shek and other nationalist leaders to Taiwan
. Unable to make ends meet with his meager salary, he opened up a Restaurant in Taipei
with his old friend General Sun Lianzhong
. He died in Taiwan on January 12, 1963. http://www.generals.dk/general_/China.html
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
and Chinese Communist Army. He was best known for having stopped the IJA 5th Division led by General Seishirō Itagaki, one of the principal architects of the Manchurian incident from capturing Linyi
Linyi
Linyi is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The largest prefecture-level city in Shandong both by area and total population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo to the north, Tai'an to the northwest, Jining to the...
and converge with General Rensuke Isogai
Rensuke Isogai
-External links:...
's IJA 10th Division at Tai'erzhuang District
Tai'erzhuang District
Tai'erzhuang District is one of five districts under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zaozhuang. The district is located in the south of Shandong Province, in northeastern China...
; thus foiled their plan to assault Xuzhou
Xuzhou
Xuzhou , otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China...
. http://www.generals.dk/general_/China.html
Early life and career
General Pang was born in rural household in Hebei Province and joined the newly formed modern army under Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. After graduating from the Manchurian surveying Academy, he was given a rank equivalent of a captain, but when the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
broke out in 1911 and his superiors suspected him as a revolutionary sympathizer and forced him to resign. After he returned home, Pang started several small businesses in order to make a living. In 1920, a bad drought hit his hometown and a famine broke out, he decided to take up military service again at the age of 41. So he entered the Northwestern Army
Guominjun
The Guominjun , a.k.a Nationalist Army, KMC, or Northwest Army , refers to the military faction founded by Feng Yuxiang, Hu Jingyi and Sun Yue during China's Warlord Era. It was formed when Feng betrayed the Zhili clique during the Second Zhili-Fengtian War with the Fengtian clique in 1924...
and served under a number of local warlords, and eventually became one of the best known military commanders in the North China Region. When Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek launched the Northern Expedition in 1926, Pang was serving under General Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu or Wu P'ei-fu , was a major figure in the struggles between the warlords who dominated Republican China from 1916 to 1927.- Early career :...
, one of the most powerful warlords controlling Central and North China. Pang demonstrated his political shrewdness when he announced he was for the nationalist revolution and joined with General Tang Shengzhi
Tang Shengzhi
Tang Shengzhi was a Chinese warlord during the Warlord Era, a military commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and a politician after World War II....
. After Chiang Kai Shek purged the communists in the Shanghai Massacre, the Wuhan Nationalist Government ordered Pang Bingxun to attack
Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, Pang instead joined General Feng Yuxiang
Feng Yuxiang
Feng Yuxiang was a warlord and leader in Republican China. He was also known as the Christian General for his zeal to convert his troops and the Betrayal General for his penchant to break with the establishment. In 1911, he was an officer in the ranks of Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army but joined...
's Second Army Group and became a division commander in Feng's units.
He fought with courage and distinction for Feng Yuxiang in the Central Plains War
Central Plains War
Central Plains War was a civil war within the factionalised Kuomintang that broke out in 1930. It was fought between the forces of Chiang Kai-shek and the coalition of three military commanders who had previously allied with Chiang: Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, and Li Zongren...
, but when General Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang , occasionally called Peter Hsueh Liang Chang in English, nicknamed the Young Marshal , was the effective ruler of Manchuria and much of North China after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese on 4 June 1928...
, Commander-in-chief of the Northeastern Border Defense Army, formerly known as the Fengtian clique
Fengtian clique
The Fengtian Clique was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of China's warlord era. It was named for Fengtian Province and led by Zhang Zuolin...
declared himself for Chiang Kai Shek, the anti-Chaing forces were quickly defeated. Pang again switched sides and declared himself for the Nationalist Government and became commander of the 40th corps. He participated in a number of actions against the Chinese Communist forces in Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
province and defended North China against the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
led by Field Marshal Baron Nobuyoshi Mutō
Nobuyoshi Muto
-External links:*- Notes :...
in the Defense of the Great Wall
Defense of the Great Wall
The Defense of the Great Wall was a campaign between the armies of Republic of China and Empire of Japan, which took place before the Second Sino-Japanese War officially commenced in 1937...
. In 1935, General Feng Yuxiang
Feng Yuxiang
Feng Yuxiang was a warlord and leader in Republican China. He was also known as the Christian General for his zeal to convert his troops and the Betrayal General for his penchant to break with the establishment. In 1911, he was an officer in the ranks of Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army but joined...
and a number of his old colleagues were involved in the Actions in Inner Mongolia (1933–1936) against Japanese penetration of the region. Because President Chiang Kai Shek still held out hopes for a peaceful settlement with Japan. President Chiang sent War minister General He Yingqin
He Yingqin
He Yingqin , also spelled Ho Ying-chin, was one of the most senior generals of the Kuomintang during Republican China, and a close ally of Chiang Kai-shek.-Early years:A native of Guizhou, He was healthy and bookish in his childhood...
to disband Feng Yuxiang
Feng Yuxiang
Feng Yuxiang was a warlord and leader in Republican China. He was also known as the Christian General for his zeal to convert his troops and the Betrayal General for his penchant to break with the establishment. In 1911, he was an officer in the ranks of Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army but joined...
's Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army
Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army
The Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army consisted mostly of former Northwestern Army units under Feng Yuxiang, troops from Fang Zhenwu's Resisting Japan and Saving China Army, remnants of the provincial forces from Jehol, Anti-Japanese volunteers from Manchuria and local forces from Chahar and Suiyuan...
and named Pang Bingxun as Chairman of Chahar Province in order to appease the Japanese military leaders. The Nationalist Government made him a lieutenant general in 1936 and General Pang again supported Chiang Kai Shek during the Xi'an Incident
Xi'an Incident
The Xi'an Incident of December 1936 is an important episode of Chinese modern history, taking place in the city of Xi'an during the Chinese Civil War between the ruling Kuomintang and the rebel Chinese Communist Party and just before the Second Sino-Japanese War...
and joined the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
next year.
Second Sino-Japanese War
In July 1937, General Pang Bingxun joined the Second Sino-Japanese WarSecond Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
in North China. When Japanese forces struck in the
Battle of Beiping–Tianjin, he covered the retreated of General Song Zheyuan
Song Zheyuan
Sòng Zhéyuán was a Chinese general during the Chinese Civil War and Sino-Japanese War .- Early life and education :...
's 29th Army into Shangdong Province. In December 1937 his unit became part of the 5th war zone under General Li Zongren
Li Zongren
Li Zongren or Li Tsung-jen , courtesy name Delin , was a prominent Guangxi warlord and Kuomintang military commander during the Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War...
, and from March 16 to April 17, 1938 he and General Zhang Zizhong
Zhang Zizhong
Zhāng Zìzhōng was a Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Born in Linqing in Shandong province, he was the highest-ranked officer and the only Army group commander of the NRA to die in the war...
fought a bloody defensive action against General Seishirō Itagaki and contributed to the Chinese victory in Battle of Taierzhuang
Battle of Taierzhuang
The Battle of Tai'erzhuang was a battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938, between armies of Chinese Kuomintang and Japan, and is sometimes considered as a part of Battle of Xuzhou....
. After the Battle of Xuzhou
Battle of Xuzhou
The Battle of Xuzhou was fought between Japanese and Chinese forces in May 1938 during Second Sino-Japanese War. In contemporary accounts in English, the event was usually referred to as the "Battle of Hsuchow", using the Chinese Postal Map Romanization....
he was transferred again to North China, and engaged heavily against the Japanese forces in the region. He was promoted as commander-in-chief of the 24th Army Group and became provincial governor of Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
province. During his tenure as governor, his forces was clashed with the communist Eighth Route Army
Eighth Route Army
The Eighth Route Army was the larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that formed a unit of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China which fought the Japanese from 1937 to 1945. In contrast to most of the National Revolutionary Army, it was controlled by the Communist...
and the two sides worked out a political settlement and armed confrontations eased soon afterwards. In 1941, the Japanese Northern China Area Army
Japanese Northern China Area Army
The was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.-History:The Japanese North China Area Army was formed on August 21, 1937 under the control of the Imperial General Headquarters. It was transferred to the newly formed China Expeditionary Army on September 23,...
under General Hayao Tada
Hayao Tada
-External links:* - Notes :...
launched Battle of South Shanxi
Battle of South Shanxi
The Battle of South Shanxi , also known as the Battle of Jinnan and as the Chungyuan Operation by the Japanese, was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War .-Chinese:1st War Area - Wei Li-huang* 5th...
and nationalist forces lost this important battle. General Pang was already over 60 years old and asked to resign, But President Chiang Kai Shek turned down his request because experienced commanders were hard to find at the time. General Pang continued to harass and frustrate Japanese military presence in North China. In April 1943, 50,000 Japanese soldiers under General Yasuji Okamura
Yasuji Okamura
- Notes :...
stepped up their military offensives against Chinese resistance in the region and achieved a decisive breakthrough against General Pang's defense areas and most of his units fled southward. But during the breakout from the Japanese attack, he lost touched with his Army headquarters and forced to hide in a cave. General Sun Dianying
Sun Dianying
Sun Diangying was one of the minor warlords during the Warlord Era.-Biography:...
, commander of 5th corps of Chinese puppet forces and a Japanese lieutenant captured him and forced him to surrender to Japan. General Pang was taken to the Japanese corps headquarters and on May 23, 1943 President Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei , alternate name Wang Zhaoming, was a Chinese politician. He was initially known as a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang , but later became increasingly anti-Communist after his efforts to collaborate with the CCP ended in political failure...
of the Nanjing regime appointed him as commander-in-chief of the 24 th Army Group. After he surrendered to Japan, the KMT government tried to win him back, and Pang agreed to rejoined the national resistance. But Japanese commanders discovered his plans and disbanded his units. In 1944 he was reassigned as to Hennan
Hennan
Hennan, is a village in Ljusdal Municipality, Hälsingland, Gävleborg County, Sweden with about 227 inhabitants. ....
as pacification director of Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
and he again contacted Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
through The Investigation and Statistics Bureau
The Investigation and Statistics Bureau
The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was the intelligence agency of the Republic of China . It was devoted to intelligence gathering for purposes of national security and defense...
under Major General Dai Li
Dai Li
Major General Dai Li was born Dai Chunfeng with the courtesy name of Yunong in Baoan, Jiangshan, Zhejiang, China. He studied at the Whampoa Military Academy, where Chiang served as Chief Commandant, and later became head of Chiang's Military Intelligence Service.-Early life:At age four, his...
. So when the Japanese forces in China surrendered next year, President Chiang Kai Shek again appointed him as commander-in-chief of the vanguard forces, his mission was to prevent the region fell in to the hands of Chinese communists.
Chinese Civil War and Retirement
In 1946, the Chinese Civil WarChinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
resumed, General Pang handed his unit to the Central government in nanjing. General Sun Dianying
Sun Dianying
Sun Diangying was one of the minor warlords during the Warlord Era.-Biography:...
was made commander of the 40th corps, while concurrently serving as commander-in-chief of the 24th Army Group. But during the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
under Marshal Liu Bocheng
Liu Bocheng
Liu Bocheng was a Chinese Communist military commander and Marshal of the People's Liberation Army.Liu is known as one of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in modern history...
destroyed Pang and Sun's nationalist troops in the Handan Campaign
Handan Campaign
Handan Campaign , also known as Pinghan Campaign , short for Beiping-Hankou Campaign , is one of the largest clashes between the communist force and the nationalist force immediately after the end of World War II, which resulted in communist victory.-Nationalist Strategy:During the Shangdang...
. General Pang was tasked to reorganize these broken units and he was named as a military advisor to the Ministry of National Defense (Republic of China) and went into retirement. Before the Chinese Communist forces under Marshal Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
took over North China he left Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
for Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
in 1948. After the Huaihai Campaign
Huaihai Campaign
Huaihai Campaign or Battle of Hsupeng was a military action during 1948 and 1949 that was the determining battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the few conventional battles of the war. 550,000 troops of the Republic of China were surrounded in Xuzhou and destroyed by the communist...
he followed President Chiang Kai Shek and other nationalist leaders to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Unable to make ends meet with his meager salary, he opened up a Restaurant in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
with his old friend General Sun Lianzhong
Sun Lianzhong
Sun Lianzhong Sun Lianzhong Sun Lianzhong (Traditional Chinese: 孫連仲 ; Simplified Chinese: 孙连仲 ; pinyin: Sun Lianzhong; Wade-Giles: Sun Lian-chung (1893–1990) General during the Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War...
. He died in Taiwan on January 12, 1963. http://www.generals.dk/general_/China.html
Military career
- 1937 General Officer Commanding 39th Division
- 1937 - 1938 General Officer Commanding 3rd Army
- 1937 - 1941 General Officer Commanding XXXX Corps
- 1940 - 1943 Chairman of the Government of Hebei Province
- 1943 Surrender to Japan
- 1943-1945 Command 24th Group Army puppet troopsWang Jingwei GovernmentIn March 1940 a puppet government led by Wang Jingwei was established in the Republic of China under the protection of the Empire of Japan. The regime officially called itself the Republic of China and its government the Reorganized National Government of China...
See also
- Second Sino-Japanese WarSecond Sino-Japanese WarThe Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...