Battle of Changsha (1941–1942)

Third Battle of Changsha
	Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific Theater of World War II
	; A Chinese soldier mounts his ZB vz. 26 light machine gun at Changsha, January 1942.
Date	24 December 1941 – 15 January 1942 ; (3 weeks and 1 day)
Location	Changsha, Luo River (Henan) in China
Result	Chinese victory
Belligerents
Republic of China	Empire of Japan
Commanders and leaders
Xue Yue	Korechika Anami
Units involved
National Revolutionary Army; 9 armies - 20+ divisions	Eleventh Army 6th Division; 40th Division; 3rd Division; ; Imperial Japanese Navy
Strength
19,623 officers and 249,058 soldiers	120,000 soldiers; 600 pieces of artillery; 200 aircraft
Casualties and losses
Japanese claim:; 28,612 killed; 1,065 captured; ; Chinese claim: ; 401 officers and 11,176 soldiers killed; 710 officers and 15,613 soldiers wounded; 43 officers and 2,403 soldiers missing	Japanese claim:; 1,591 killed; 4,412 wounded; Chinese Claim:; 33,941 killed in action; 23,003 wounded in action

The Third Battle of Changsha (24 December 1941 – 15 January 1942; Chinese: 第三次長沙會戰) was the first major offensive in China by Imperial Japanese forces following the Japanese attack on the Western Allies and the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Japan's third of four attempts to capture the Chinese city of Changsha. It was conducted with the purpose of severing Chinese lines of communication with British Hong Kong, and seizing control of Changsha's food production.

The offensive resulted in failure for the Japanese, as Chinese forces were able to lure them into a trap and encircle them. After suffering heavy casualties, Japanese forces were forced to carry out a general retreat.