BATTLE OF YALU RIVER
‘FIRST SINO-JAPANESE WAR (1894)’
DISCLAIMER
“All efforts have been taken to correctly pronounce names of
the Commanders and Ships of the battle in this presentation.
Any funny sounds during the presentation are purely
coincidental and unintentional”
- Pizey Syndicate
SCOPE
PROLOGUE NARRATIVE ANALYSIS LESSONS
LEARNT
PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
17 SEP 1894
1st MAJOR NAVAL BATTLE OF THE INDUSTRIAL
ERA
IMPERIAL JAPAN VS CHINESE QING DYNASTY
BATTLE WITH RELATIVELY MODERN SHIPS
19TH CENTURY
PROLOGUE
JAPAN
YOUNG, AMBITIOUS AND AGGRESSIVE
INSTRUMENT OF IMPERIAL CHALLENGE
END OF MEIJI ERA AND RISE OF
NATIONALISTS
19TH CENTURY
CHINA
CORRUPT CHINESE OFFICIALS
CONCILIANT INTERNATIONAL POLICY
LARGE INDUSTRIAL MARKET
LOSSES IN WARS WITH WESTERN POWERS
CHINESE FLEET – ARMED JUNKS
PROLOGUE
INFLUENCE OVER KOREA
WEAKENED QING vs MEIJI RESTORATION
CHINA – HUMILIATED; LOST KOREA
JAPAN – RESOLVE AND CONFIDENCE
CAUSE OF
KOREAN CONFLICT
KING GOJONG SOUGHT CHINESE
HELP
CHINESE GEN YUAN SHIKAI WITH 28,000 MEN
VIOLATION OF ‘TIENTSIN CONVENTION’ OF
1885
JAPAN SENT OSHIMA COMPOSITE BRIGADE
KING GOJONG GEN YUAN
EARLY 1894
SHIKAI
CHINESE ARMY
NO NATIONAL ARMY
DIVIDED ON ETHNICITY AND REGION
LOCAL BEIYANG ARMY – WELL EQUIPPED
INTERNATIONAL PRONOSTICS – CHINESE
VICTORY
CHINESE NAVY
BEIYANG FLEET – CONSIDERED BEST
FLEETS – BEIYANG, NANKING, FOOCHOW,
CANTON
1880 – MODERNISATION EFFORTS
1884 – FOOCHOW FLEET SUNK BY FRENCH
LESS AMMUNITION, FUNDS DUE TO
CORRUPTION
CHINESE NAVY
RATED FIRST IN ASIA; SUPPORTED BY
VICEROY LI
ARMOURED TURRET SHIPS – TING YUEN
CLASS
8,000 TONS GERMAN BUILT BATTLESHIPS
ARMOURED CRUISER – KING YUEN, LAI YUEN
PROTECTED CRUISER – CHEN YUEN, CHING
YUEN
JAPANESE ARMY
JAPANESE INFANTRY – TRAINED BY FRENCH
RE-MODELLED AFTER PRUSSIAN MODEL
WELL EQUIPPED WITH GERMAN GUNS
JAPANESE ARMY
WESTERN DOCTRINES, SYSTEM AND ORG
IMPROVED MOBILITY
1894 – 1,20,000 MEN MOBILISED
JAPANESE NAVY
YOUNG UNDERDOG
OFFICERS TRAINED BY BRITISH NAVY
ACADEMY SET UP BY FRANCE
1881 – FIRST EXPANSION BILL FOR 46 VESSELS
JAPANESE NAVY
1886 – YOKOSUKA YARD RENOVATED BY
FRENCH
CAPABILITY FOR FULL IRON HULL SHIPS
1890 – FIRST VTE; 1892 – FIRST HTE
1893 – NEW NAVAL EXPANSION PLAN
JAPANESE NAVY
JULY 1894 – COMBINED FORCE
MATSUSHIMA (FLAGSHIP)
ITSUKUSHIMA, HASHIDATE,
NANIWA, TAKACHIHO,
YAEYAMA, AKITSUSHIMA,
YOSHINO, IZUMI, CHIYODA,
HIEI, KONGO AND FUSO
BATTLE OF
PUNGDO
25 JULY 1894 – SINKING OF KOWSHING
SMALL SCALE NAVAL ENGAGEMENT
CRUISERS NANIWA vs TSI YUAN AND GUN
BOATS
REINFORCEMENT FOR ESCORT OF KOWSHING
BATTLE OF
PUNGDO
GUNS BLAZED FOR AN HOUR
CHINESE CRUISER FLED, GUN BOAT RAN
AGROUND
KOWSHING SANK WITH NEARLY 1,100 TROOPS
CAPTAIN TOGO HEIHACHIRO – CELEBRITY
STATUS
PRELUDE
17 SEP1894 – BEIYANG FLEET OFF YALU RIVER
JAPANESE OBJ – COMMAND OF YELLOW SEA
CHINESE FLEET – TOUGH NUT TO CRACK
TWO BATTLESHIPS – ADDED ADVANTAGE
PRELUDE
LI HONGZHANG – FLEET IN LUSHUNKOU
(DALIAN)
EMPEROR GUANGXU INSISTED SAFETY OF
CONVOY
INTERCEPTED BY JAPANESE OFF RIVER MOUTH
EMPEROR GUANGXU LI HONGZHANG
NARRATIVE
NARRATIVE
Largest Naval Engagement of First Sino -Japanese
War - 17 Sep 1894
Fought between Imperial Japanese Navy and
Chinese Beiyang Fleet
NARRATIVE
NARRATIVE
NARRATIVE
NARRATIVE
NARRATIVE
NARRATIVE
BELLIGERENTS
IMPERIAL
QING DYNASTY EMPIRE OF
OF CHINA JAPAN
Adm Liu Buchan Adm Ding Ruchang VAdm Ito Sukeyuki RAdm Tsuboi Kozo
NARRATIVE
CHINESE
BEIYANG
FLEET
02 Battleships
08 Cruisers
02 Corvette
02 Torpedo boats
NARRATIVE
IMPERIAL
JAPANESE NAVY
09 Cruisers
01 Corvette
01 Gunboat
01 Auxiliary Cruiser
NARRATIVE
NARRATIVE
Japanese flying squadron
attacked Beiyang’s Fleet
right flank
Chinese opened fire at 5500
yards; Japanese held fire
NARRATIVE
MAIN S
QN
FLY
ING
SQ
N
NARRATIVE
When flying squadron turned
South, Beiyand fleet was caught
between 02 Japanese squadrons
Struck by two 12 inch shells;
Japanese flying squadron
100 casualties
successfully hunted down &
destroyed the cruiser Chen
Yuen
Major Japanese ships fired their heavy Japanese ships also received
and quick firing guns that swept the major damages (Yoshino was
decks of Chinese ships and smashed hit, Akagi and Saikyo Maru were
their superstructures put out of action)
NARRATIVE
By sunset the Beiyang Fleet
was near the point of total
collapse where in most of the
fleet had fled or sunk
ANALYSIS
FORCE
COMPARISION
CHINESE BEIYANG
FLEET
02 Battleships
08 Cruisers
02 Corvette
02 Torpedo boats
FORCE
COMPARISION
JAPANESE NAVY
09 Cruisers
01 Corvette
01 Gunboat
01 Auxiliary
FORCE COMPARISON
CHINESE BEIYANG
FLEET
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Numerical Superiority Vintage Fleet
Superior Battle ships Lower Speed
Iron Clad Ships Low Rate of Fire
Bigger Caliber Guns Unequal distribution
FORCE COMPARISON
Marble Boat – Summer Palace
FORCE COMPARISON
JAPANESE FLEET
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Latest and Modern Lesser in Numbers
Mvre and Fast No Battle Ships
Higher Rate of Fire
FACTOR OF SPACE
Strategic location between China
and Korea
Chinese fleet Ordered not to cross
South of Yalu river
Japanese could operate freely on
West Coast of Korea
FACTOR OF TIME
Destroyed Chinese ships in Jul 1894
prior Battle of Yalu river
One day after decisive victory on
land – Higher Tempo
Battle lasted only five hours
FACTOR OF INFO
Japanese Fleet was aware of
movement of Chinese Fleet
Easy to detect
Gap in Information flow
RESOURCE
CONSTRAINT
Unavailability of Ammunition
with Chinese
Poor material state of
ammunition held
Wrong caliber of ammunition
Limited live ammunition
MISC FACTORS
Diversion of funds
Weak and corrupt leadership Taels – 40 gms Silver
Poor discipline, morale and
training of Chinese troops
Empress Cixi
MISC FACTORS
Advanced Western training of
Japanese
Japanese Adm Ito and staff trained
abroad
Cryptic orders
Chinese vs Japanese tactics
LEADERSHIP
Adm Ding Ruchang
Did not enjoy the trust of Chinese Empress court
Subordinate officers not well educated
and integrated
LEADERSHIP
VAdm Ito Sukeyuki
Well trained – First Admiral of Japan
Better Command and Control
Role of foreign Officers – limited ashore
LESSONS LEARNT
LESSONS LEARNT
WIDELY STUDIED FOR OPERATIONAL AND
TACTICAL LESSONS
MYTH OF CHINESE SUPERIORITY
LESSONS LEARNT
NON-UNIFIED AND REGIONAL NAVY
ABSENCE OF UNIFIED AND MODERN
NATIONAL ARMED FORCES
EXISTENCE OF REGIONAL ARMY AND
NAVAL FORCES
RIVALRY BETWEEN NANYANG FLEET
AND BEIYANG FLEET
LEADERSHIP AT APEX LEVEL
LESSONS LEARNT
STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL AIM
NO COMPREHENSIVE CHINESE
PLANS
GIANT PINCER MOVEMENT
CONTINGENCY PLANNING
LESSONS LEARNT
LACK OF PERCEPTION AND INTELLIGENCE
CHINESE INDIFFERENCE TOWARDS
JAPANESE
IGNORED GROWTH OF JAPANESE
NAVY
LESSONS LEARNT
TACTICAL COMMUNICATION
INEFFECTIVE TACTICAL
COMM
HESITATION OF LEADERSHIP
TO ACKNOWLEDGE ORDERS
JAPANESE DESTRUCTION OF
DINGYUAN’S FOREMAST
INFORMATION SUPERIORITY
OF JAPANESE
LESSONS LEARNT
MODERN TECHNOLOGY
JAPAN – RAPID ASSIMILATION
OF WESTERN TECHNOLOGY
CHINA – POOR QUALITY OF
AMMUNITION
CHINA – SLOW INDUSTRIAL
ADVANCEMENTS
LESSONS LEARNT
LITTORAL WARFARE
HEAVIER CHINESE SHIPS
SPEED AND MOBILITY OF
JAPANESE SHIPS
LESSONS LEARNT
GUN MOUNTING AND SKILLS
OUTDATED MAIN GUNS – CHINESE
POORLY SKILLED CHINESE CREW
FINALLY...
CASUALTIES
CHINESE BEIYANG FLEET
850 KILLED
500 WOUNDED
5 SHIPS SUNK
3 SHIPS DAMAGED
IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY
180+ KILLED
200 WOUNDED
4 SHIPS SEVERELY DAMAGED
2 SHIPS LIGHTLY DAMAGED
PIZEY SYN
