Battle of Taierzhuang

Battle context

Taierzhuang was the first major Chinese victory of the Second Sino-Japanese War, occurring during the Xuzhou Campaign of 1938. Chinese forces under commanders including Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi repelled Japanese forces, inflicting an estimated 8,000 casualties against a numerically smaller Japanese contingent. The engagement directly challenged the reputation Japan's military had built as an invincible force in the early years of the war. For Chinese forces, which had suffered a series of defeats since 1937, the outcome provided a substantial morale boost at a critical stage of the conflict. Within the Xuzhou Campaign, the battle represented a significant operational setback for Japan, demonstrating that Chinese resistance could produce tangible results against a more modern and aggressive opponent.