The 200th Division ({{zh, t=第200師, s=第200师, w=Ti 200 Shih, p=Dì 200 Shī) was the first mechanised division in the National Revolutionary Army. It was created in 1938 by General

Du Yuming Du Yuming (; 28 November 1904 – 7 May 1981), was a Kuomintang field commander. He was a graduate of the first class of Whampoa Academy, took part in Chiang's Northern Expedition, and was active in southern China and in the Burma theatre of the ...

, who was also its first commander. Its first action was against the Japanese 14th Division in the

Battle of Lanfeng The Battle of Lanfeng (), in the Second Sino-Japanese War, was part of the larger campaign for Northern and Eastern Henan (February 7 – June 10, 1938) and took place at the same time as the Battle of Xuzhou (Late December – Early June 1938) ...

Original organization (January 1938)

200th Division *1149th Regiment (Tank Regiment) *1150th Regiment (Tank Regiment) *1151st Regiment (Armoured Car Regiment) *1152nd Regiment (Mechanized Infantry) *52nd Artillery Regiment

Equipment

The Tank regiments had 70

T-26 The T-26 tank was a Soviet light tank used during many conflicts of the Interwar period and in World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and was one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s until its light ...

, 4

BT-5 The BT tanks (russian: Быстроходный танк/БТ, translit=Bystrokhodnyy tank, lit. "fast moving tank" or "high-speed tank") were a series of Soviet light tanks produced in large numbers between 1932 and 1941. They were lightly arm ...

, 20 ( 92? ) CV-33 tanks, AMR 35 tanks. The armoured car regiment had around 50 BA armoured cars and 12 ( 18? )

Leichter Panzerspähwagen The ''Leichter Panzerspähwagen'' (German: "light armoured reconnaissance vehicle") was a series of light four-wheel drive armoured cars produced by Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1944. Development history The Sd.Kfz. 221 was the first in a series o ...

(Sd Kfz 221) armoured cars. Besides, it had more than 400 Ford trucks. The motorised infantry regiment used Soviet trucks and rifles, and the artillery regiment had 12 122 mm howitzers, also 45 mm anti-aircraft artillery and 75 mm field guns. Following the Divisions combats in May in the

and in operations afterward until September 1938, the division's original subordinate mechanized units were placed under direct command of the 5th Army, and the division was reorganized as a motorised infantry division of about 9000 men due to the June 1938 reorganization of Divisions.

Organization (October 1938)

200th Division (Major-General

Dai Anlan Dai Anlan (; 25 November 1904 – 26 May 1942) was a major general of the Republic of China. As commander of the 200th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Kunlun Pass and the Battle of Toungoo d ...

) *598th Regiment *599th Regiment *600th Regiment It was next sent as reinforcement to the first Battle of Changsha but was never engaged. The armoured and artillery Regiments were placed under direct command of 5th Army and the 200th Division became a motorized Infantry Division within the same Army with the 1st Honor Division. The 200th Division participated with 5th Corps against the Japanese invasion of Guangxi, in the defense of Nanning, and in the devastating victory against the Japanese in the Battle of Kunlun Pass, wiping out an entire Japanese brigade. It suffered heavy losses after the battle at Kunlun Pass in an offensive against Batang, losing nearly two-thirds of its strength. Rebuilt and reorganized, the division participated in the Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road in early 1942 and in the Burma campaign. The 200th Division distinguished itself in fighting in the

Battle of Toungoo The Battle of Toungoo was one of the key battles in the Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road in the Burma Campaign of World War II and Second Sino-Japanese War. The failure of the Chinese to hold the city of Toungoo opened up the route for the Japanese ...

and the Battle of Hopong - Taunggyi but suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Hsipaw-Mogok Highway near the end of the campaign as it was attempting to retreat to China. Its commanding officer,

, died of wounds suffered in that battle while being carried by the remnants of his force as it made its way back to China.

Sources

Elite Troops of the National Revolutionary Army, the 200th Division
Divisions of the National Revolutionary Army C