SUPREME WAR COUNCIL MEMMORANDUM
IJA Secret War Order #2
At the beginning of April 1942, IGHQ drafter a plan for settling the China Incident, and showed the document (in private) to General Hata, the CINC of the China Expeditionary Army. The essentials follow:
1. Policy
If the over-all situation permits (especially where the USSR is concerned), Japan should take advantage of her successes in the southern operations to resolve the China Incident. If the situaction does not warrant, however, Japan should endeavor gradually to hasten the collapse of the Chiang regime, by means of steadily pursuing current policies, while applying pressure from the direction of Burma.
2. Outline
a. In coping with the China incident during its present stage, emphasis should be laid upon crushing the Chinese power to resist; winning the confidence of peoples in the occupied regions: and restoring public order. The Chinese will to fight should be destroyed through the application of state policy and the exertion of economic pressure. After the Aid-To-Chiang route via Burma has been completely sealed off, priority should be assigned to the annihilation of the hard core of the Nationalist Army.
b. The following meassures should be affected if an early settlement of the Incident is planned.
(1) Essentials: The Army should transfer several divisions to China from other fronts, and should conduct large-scale operations aimed at Chugking itself. In that case, the ultimate objetive of the actions would be the destruction of the Nationalist Army´s power of resistance. We must nevertheless continue to investigate que question of deciding where to focus our main attention: the economic collapse which must result from occupation of the Szechwan plain; or the annihilation of the Central armies, wich constitute the backbone of Chinese power to resist.
(2) Timing: The proper time for commencing operations will occur when the results of cutting off the Aid-to-Chiang route, plus the successes in the southern operations, exert critical influence upon china. Moreover, it will be necessary to consider holding certain forces in reserve against eventualities, when the southern operations have been brought to a momentary halt; the situation versus the Soviet Union has to be completely stabilized. The time for initiating operations against China should therefore not be set before June 1942 at the earliest.
c. The following are the objetives of measures to be adopted during a sustained war: IN the occupied areas, efforts must be made to strenghten the economic structure and to maintain public peace and order. In so far as the unoccupied regions are concerned, the fall of the Chiang regime must be spurred, by enforcing intensive blocking and cut-off measures, as well as by implementing state policies.
d. Forces involved
Northern Area Army - 09 infantry divisions, 11 infantry brigades, 07 tank regiments, 09 arty regiments and 5 arty bns.
XVI Army (Expeditionary) - 38th, 2nd and 16th Infantry Divisions, 1 Tank Regiment, 2 Arty Regiments and 1 Engineer Regiment.
XV Army (Detachment) - 55th Infantry Division.
Available forces will launch a massive offensive against Sian in the Central-northern China front where massive chinese forces stand on in the face of Northern China Expeditionary Forces. Air Close support will be available from Ichang - Sinyang IJAAF Air Detachment from 1st Air Division whith near 100 level bombers.
At South XVI Army will storm Liüchow like diversionary attack against the southern chinese forces. This attack will be supported by Canton IJAAF Air Detachment in near 50 aircrafts.
At Western border, 55th Infantry Division from XV Army supported by 3rd Air Division assets will storm Paoshan and will threat enemy airfields where british are delivering war supplies to nationalist.
D Day for this main offensive will be June 1st, 1942. China Theatre Fleet will support with ammo deliveries at Hankow River docks.
Signed at Tokyo, by General Hajime Sugiyama.
Special War Order #2 CHINA EXP.ARMY CINC.
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