May 1, 1940 · Central China — Hubei Theater
May 1, 1940
General Zhang Zizhong led a daring counterattack across the Han River to relieve Chinese forces encircled by Japanese armies advancing toward Yichang. Outnumbered and surrounded, Zhang Zizhong refused to retreat even as his forces were overwhelmed. He died in combat on May 16, 1940, shot multiple times while directing a rearguard action — the highest-ranking Chinese officer killed in the entire war. His death shocked China and made him its greatest martyr general.
Commanders