Wang Yaowu
Encyclopedia
Wang Yaowu was a high-ranking KMT general and the Governor of Shandong Province who successfully fought against both the Imperial Japanese Army
and the Chinese Communists. In September 1948 Communist forces launched the Battle of Jinan
and Wang was captured and held as a prisoner of war until his pardon in 1959. During the Cultural Revolution
he came under attack by the Red Guards
for being a former nationalist commander and died of a heart attack in 1968.
opened the Whampoa Military Academy
, Wang was working as a shop keeper. He immediately borrowed money from his employer and traveled to the South to join the national revolution. Some of his notable classmates included Du Yuming
, Fan Hanjie
, Hu Lian
, Liu Yujian
, Guan Linzheng
and Lin Biao
. After his graduation he joined the Northern Expedition under Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek against the northern warlords. After Chiang purged the communists in Shanghai
on April 12, 1927, he stayed with the Kuomintang
as a regiment commander in the National Revolutionary Army
. In 1930 he fought in the Central Plains War
as a colonel in the central army against an anti-central government coalition under Yan Xishan
, Feng Yuxiang
and Li Zongren
. In 1932, he was received by Chiang Kai Shek after successfully defend his position under communist attacks during the Fourth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
. He was promoted to brigade commander and later as commander of the 51st division. Two years later he participated the Fifth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
and captured Chinese communist leader Fang Zhimin
and killing another red army commander in battle around September 1934. In 1935 he scored yet another victory at Jiangxi
province by capturing the entire officer corps of the Red Army's 10th corps and was promoted to major general.
. His regiment commander was Zhang Lingfu
, whom he had just bailed out of prison. In late November, the Chinese army lost the battle for Shanghai and the Japanese Central China Area Army
under General Iwane Matsui
advanced toward Nanjing
. During the Battle of Nanjing
, Wang's 51st division suffered heavy causalties and his superior General Tang Shengzhi
fled the city without even notifying him and the other senior commanders. Wang barely escaped the city and only 3,000 troops under his command managed to breakout from the Japanese onslaught. In 1938 he took part in the Battle of Lanfeng
to fight against the Japanese 14th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
led by General Kenji Doihara
, one of the masterminds of the Manchurian Incident. The failure to hold off the Japanese attacks also led the nationalist government open dykes on the Yellow River
, causing the 1938 Yellow River flood
. During the Battle of Wanjialing
, Wang's unit fought against the Japanese attempts to break out from the Chinese encirclement, in which the 106th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
under lieutenant general Junrokurō Matsuura
was almost wiped out. In 1939, Wang led his unit to participate in the Battle of Nanchang, but Chinese forces failed to hold the city. Wang, however, distinguished himself during the Battle of Changsha (1939)
and was promoted to the command of the 74th corps. Under his command, the 74th corps became one of the elite units of the Chinese government forces and fought in almost every engagement in the remaining period of the War. By the war's end, General Wang was promoted to command the 4th area army and became a member of the KMT central committee.
broke out again in 1946, General Wang was named as governor of Shangdong Province and commander-in-chief of the 2nd pacification zone. But he had great difficulty to establish his authority due to intense interservcie rivalry among different nationalist commanders and Communist forces stepped up their attacks on isolated nationalist garrisons in the province. In May 1947, his career suffered a serious setback when the 74th enhanced division under his old subordinate lieutenant general Zhang Lingfu
was lost in the critical Menglianggu Campaign
and most of the nationalist troops aissigned to his sector was pulled out of the province to be redeployed elsewhere. When the Chinese communist forces under Chen Yi
and Su Yu
attacked the provincial capital in 1948 during the Battle of Jinan
, General Wang only had local garrison forces which made up by raw recruits and second-rate troops. The fate of Jinan was sealed when one of his corps commanders (Wu Huawen
) defected to the Chinese communist forces. The communist troops breached the city defenses and General Wang fled from his headquarters and was captured in a nearby county.
and caused a firestorm of controversy since President Chiang Kai Shek always favored him. As result of his collaboration with the communist forces he was among the first nationalist commanders to be released in 1959 with his senior classmate Du Yuming
. He worked in the Chinese political consultative conference and other government organizations when the Cultural Revolution
broke out. He was forced to go to struggle sessions by the Red Guards
and died of a heart attack in 1968.
Wang was survived by his wife, sons and a daughter. Wang's grandchild, Mary-Jean Wong, has followed in her family's tradition of public service, currently serving as a member of the 10th Shandong Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
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 the Chinese Communists. In September 1948 Communist forces launched the Battle of Jinan
Battle of Jinan
The Battle of Jinan was a critical engagement fought between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China from during theChinese Civil War...
and Wang was captured and held as a prisoner of war until his pardon in 1959. During the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
he came under attack by the Red Guards
Red Guards (China)
Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China , who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
for being a former nationalist commander and died of a heart attack in 1968.
Early life and career
Wang was born into peasant family in Shangdong province. He lost his father and elder brother when he was young, and his mother raised him into adulthood. When Sun Yat-SenSun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
opened the Whampoa Military Academy
Whampoa Military Academy
The Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy , commonly known as the Whampoa Military Academy , was a military academy in the Republic of China that produced many prestigious commanders who fought in many of China's conflicts in the 20th century, notably the Northern Expedition, the Second...
, Wang was working as a shop keeper. He immediately borrowed money from his employer and traveled to the South to join the national revolution. Some of his notable classmates included Du Yuming
Du Yuming
Du Yuming was a Kuomintang field commander active in the Sino-Japanese War theatre of World War II and in the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949....
, Fan Hanjie
Fan Hanjie
Fan Hanjie , courtesy name Jie-ying, was a Chinese military general who served during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War...
, Hu Lian
Hu Lian
Hu Lian was a Chinese Nationalist general, he participated the Northern Expedition, anti-communist Encirclement Campaigns, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War.- Whampoa Military Academy :...
, Liu Yujian
Liu Yujian
Liu Yuzhang , nicknamed the bald general, was a well-known Chinese nationalist general. He was one of the very few KMT commanders who could defeat both the Imperial Japanese Army and PLA in the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War....
, Guan Linzheng
Guan Linzheng
Guan Linzheng （1905-1980）was a highly successful Chinese general in the Kuomintang who fought against both the Chinese communists and the Imperial Japanese Army, and was a recipient of Order of Blue Sky and White Sun, the highest honor for a Chinese nationalist commander.-Early life and career:Guan...
and 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...
. After his graduation he joined the Northern Expedition under Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek against the northern warlords. After Chiang purged the communists in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
on April 12, 1927, he stayed with the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
as a regiment commander in the National Revolutionary Army
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
. In 1930 he fought 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...
as a colonel in the central army against an anti-central government coalition under Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan, was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. Yan effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War...
, 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 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...
. In 1932, he was received by Chiang Kai Shek after successfully defend his position under communist attacks during the Fourth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
Fourth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
The Fourth Encirclement Campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet was the fourth campaign launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government in hope to destroy the Red Army in Jiangxi. The Nationalist headquarter in the provincial border of Jiangxi-Guangdong-Fujian organized nearly 400,000 men, and prepared...
. He was promoted to brigade commander and later as commander of the 51st division. Two years later he participated the Fifth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
Fifth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
The Fifth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet was a series of battles fought during the Chinese Civil War from September 25, 1933 to October 1934 between Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang and the Chinese communists...
and captured Chinese communist leader Fang Zhimin
Fang Zhimin
Fang Zhimin was a Chinese communist military and political leader.Born in a poor peasant household in Yixian, Jiangxi Province, he joined the CPC in 1924 and assisted in setting up a provincial Party organization. After the failure of the Shanghai Uprising in 1927, Fang returned to Jiangxi, where...
and killing another red army commander in battle around September 1934. In 1935 he scored yet another victory at Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
province by capturing the entire officer corps of the Red Army's 10th corps and was promoted to major general.
Second Sino-Japanese War
In 1937, Wang led his unit in the Battle of ShanghaiBattle of Shanghai
The Battle of Shanghai, known in Chinese as Battle of Songhu, was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Army of the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
. His regiment commander was Zhang Lingfu
Zhang Lingfu
Zhang Lingfu was a high-ranking general of the National Revolutionary Army. He successfully fought against the Chinese Communist army and the Imperial Japanese Army...
, whom he had just bailed out of prison. In late November, the Chinese army lost the battle for Shanghai and the Japanese Central China Area Army
Japanese Central China Area Army
The was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.-History:On November 7, 1937 Japanese Central China Area Army was organized as a reinforcement expeditionary army by combining the Shanghai Expeditionary Army and the IJA Tenth Army...
under General Iwane Matsui
Iwane Matsui
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary forces sent to China in World War II. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by hanging by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East for responsibility over the Nanking Massacre.-Early life...
advanced toward 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...
. During the Battle of Nanjing
Battle of Nanjing
The Battle of Nanking began after the fall of Shanghai on October 9, 1937, and ended with the fall of the capital city of Nanking on December 13, 1937 to Japanese troops, a few days after the Republic of China Government had evacuated the city and relocated to Wuhan...
, Wang's 51st division suffered heavy causalties and his superior 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....
fled the city without even notifying him and the other senior commanders. Wang barely escaped the city and only 3,000 troops under his command managed to breakout from the Japanese onslaught. In 1938 he took part in the Battle of Lanfeng
Battle of Lanfeng
The Battle of Lanfeng was part of the larger campaign for Northern and Eastern Honan and was occurring at the same time as the Battle of Xuzhou...
to fight against the Japanese 14th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
14th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the .-History:The 14th Division was one of four divisions raised in the closing stages of the Russo-Japanese War...
led by General Kenji Doihara
Kenji Doihara
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia....
, one of the masterminds of the Manchurian Incident. The failure to hold off the Japanese attacks also led the nationalist government open dykes on the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
, causing the 1938 Yellow River flood
1938 Yellow River flood
The 1938 Yellow River flood was a flood created by the Nationalist Government in central China during the early stage of the Second Sino-Japanese War in an attempt to halt the rapid advance of the Japanese forces...
. During the Battle of Wanjialing
Battle of Wanjialing
Battle of Wanjialing, well known in Chinese text as the Victory of Wanjialing refers to the Chinese Army's successful engagement during the Wuhan theatre of the Second Sino-Japanese War against the Japanese 101st and 106th Divisions around the Wanjialing region in 1938.-Chinese:In the Battle of...
, Wang's unit fought against the Japanese attempts to break out from the Chinese encirclement, in which the 106th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
106th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The 106th Division was a B-class division of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Formed in Central China in 1937-1938, under the Central China Expeditionary Force in the Nanjing, Shanghai area. The majority of the soldiers in this division were reservists, merchants and...
under lieutenant general Junrokurō Matsuura
Junrokuro Matsuura
-External links:...
was almost wiped out. In 1939, Wang led his unit to participate in the Battle of Nanchang, but Chinese forces failed to hold the city. Wang, however, distinguished himself during the Battle of Changsha (1939)
Battle of Changsha (1939)
Battle of Changsha was the first attempt by Japan to take the city of Changsha, China, during the second Sino-Japanese War. It was the first major battle of the war to fall within the timeframe of what's widely considered World War II.- Background and strategy :The war had already reached a...
and was promoted to the command of the 74th corps. Under his command, the 74th corps became one of the elite units of the Chinese government forces and fought in almost every engagement in the remaining period of the War. By the war's end, General Wang was promoted to command the 4th area army and became a member of the KMT central committee.
Chinese Civil War
When 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...
broke out again in 1946, General Wang was named as governor of Shangdong Province and commander-in-chief of the 2nd pacification zone. But he had great difficulty to establish his authority due to intense interservcie rivalry among different nationalist commanders and Communist forces stepped up their attacks on isolated nationalist garrisons in the province. In May 1947, his career suffered a serious setback when the 74th enhanced division under his old subordinate lieutenant general Zhang Lingfu
Zhang Lingfu
Zhang Lingfu was a high-ranking general of the National Revolutionary Army. He successfully fought against the Chinese Communist army and the Imperial Japanese Army...
was lost in the critical Menglianggu Campaign
Menglianggu Campaign
The Menglianggu Campaign was a campaign fought between the nationalists and the communists during the Chinese Civil War in the post-World War II era and resulted in communist victory. The campaign was later used by the communists as a specific battle example in their military science and history,...
and most of the nationalist troops aissigned to his sector was pulled out of the province to be redeployed elsewhere. When the Chinese communist forces under Chen Yi
Chen Yi
Chen Yi may refer to:* Chen Yi , Chinese communist military commander* Chen Yi , Chief Executive of Taiwan Province* Chen Yi , Chinese composer* Chen Yi...
and Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
attacked the provincial capital in 1948 during the Battle of Jinan
Battle of Jinan
The Battle of Jinan was a critical engagement fought between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China from during theChinese Civil War...
, General Wang only had local garrison forces which made up by raw recruits and second-rate troops. The fate of Jinan was sealed when one of his corps commanders (Wu Huawen
Wu Huawen
Wu Huawen was a military commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. During his career, he switched his allegiance several times, first from the Kuomintang to the Wang Jingwei regime, a Japanese puppet government, then back to the Kuomintang, and finally to the...
) defected to the Chinese communist forces. The communist troops breached the city defenses and General Wang fled from his headquarters and was captured in a nearby county.
Later life and death
During his imprisonment Wang urged his fellow nationalist commanders to surrender to the PLAPeople'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...
and caused a firestorm of controversy since President Chiang Kai Shek always favored him. As result of his collaboration with the communist forces he was among the first nationalist commanders to be released in 1959 with his senior classmate Du Yuming
Du Yuming
Du Yuming was a Kuomintang field commander active in the Sino-Japanese War theatre of World War II and in the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949....
. He worked in the Chinese political consultative conference and other government organizations when the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
broke out. He was forced to go to struggle sessions by the Red Guards
Red Guards (China)
Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China , who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
and died of a heart attack in 1968.
Wang was survived by his wife, sons and a daughter. Wang's grandchild, Mary-Jean Wong, has followed in her family's tradition of public service, currently serving as a member of the 10th Shandong Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.