June 9, 1938 · Central China — Yellow River Theater
June 9, 1938
Facing overwhelming Japanese forces advancing toward the railway hub of Zhengzhou, Chiang Kai-shek made the catastrophic decision to dynamite the Yellow River dikes at Huayuankou. The resulting flood inundated eleven counties across three provinces in minutes, creating an inland sea that temporarily halted the Japanese advance. But the human cost was staggering: an estimated 400,000 to 900,000 Chinese civilians drowned or died of subsequent famine and disease.
Commanders