Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945

by Rana Mitter

A leader more humane than Chiang might never have considered the dilemma, choosing to spare the dams and let the Japanese take Wuhan. But Chiang knew that if he did not break the dikes, and Wuhan fell within days, the Nationalist government might not be able to relocate to Chongqing in time and would be even more likely to surrender, leaving Japan in control of almost all China. Perhaps the nearest equivalent during the Second World War would be the decision of the French high command to surrender to the Germans in June 1940.6 As in France, Chiang’s decision was being made in the face of the most terrifying assault that the country had ever seen, and China’s armies were much weaker and less well trained than the French. The dilemma over whether to break the Yellow River dikes was the product of desperation.7 Chiang made his decision. He gave orders to General Wei Rulin to blow up the dike that held the Yellow River in place in central Henan. There was no doubt about what this meant. Floods would inundate much of central China, turning it into a vast expanse of water and mud, and the Japanese advance would be forcibly stopped. However, to make this strategy work, it had to be done fast. Nor could the government give any public warning, in case the Japanese found out and accelerated their advance.