The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Lanchow (Lanzhou; 103.767E
36.052N) is the traditional eastern terminus of the Silk
Road and the key to Chinese
control of Central Asia and northern Tibet. It is located on the Yellow River near the
western end of the Great Wall, and at the eastern end of the Kansu corridor. Fruit and
livestock are raised in the area and there was an airfield here in 1941. It was
likely the headquarters of 8 War Area.
Beginning on 11 November 1937, considerable Russian aid to the Chinese came
through Lanchow, making it an important strategic bombing
target for the Japanese. There
was a particularly heavy raid on
20 February 1939 that was contested by volunteer Russian pilots. However, by the
time war broke out in the Pacific, the flow of Russian supplies
had dried up due to the German
invasion of western Russia.
References
Peattie (2001)
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