battle of yalu river

1. BATTLE OFYALU RIVER
‘FIRST SINO-JAPANESE WAR (1894)’

3. 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

4. PROLOGUE NARRATIVE ANALYSIS LESSONS
LEARNT

5. PROLOGUE

6. BATTLE WITH RELATIVELY MODERN SHIPS
1ST MAJOR NAVAL BATTLE OF THE INDUSTRIAL ERA
AMBITIOUS & AGGRESSIVE FORCES
17 SEP 1894

7.  Instrument of imperial challenge post Meiji
era and rise of Nationalists
Mirror of Tsushima Battle (Russo-Japanese
War)
PROLOGUE

8. China mined by corrupted officials
Conciliant International Policy
Fed imperialist appetites including Japan
Large untapped industrial market
Several wars (with Britain, France, USA) saw all-out
easy victories, as the Chinese fleet mostly counted
armed junks & few modern vessels
PROLOGUE

9.  Motivated over influence of
Korea
Weakened Qing Empire vs
Successful Meiji Restoration
 Result :
 China humiliated,
loosing Korea as a
tributary state
 Japan left with more
resolve and confidence
PROLOGUE

10. 04 Jun 1894, Korean King Gojong, sought
help from Qing govt in suppressing
Donghak Rebellion
General Yuan Shikai and contingent of
28,000 men
Japanese took it as violation by
Convention of Tientsin and deployed 8000
troops
Any reform of Korean Govt was refused
and Pro-Japanese Govt established
PROLOGUE

11.  Qing had no national army
 Divided based on ethnicity and region
 Local Beiyang Army - well-equipped and trained with
modernised equipment
CHINESE
FORCES
PROLOGUE

12. CHINESE
FORCES
Beiyang Fleet - best amongst whole Empire
Northern (Beiyang), Southern (Nanking), Foochow
and Canton
1880 - Modernisation efforts with British
1884 - Foochow Fleet sunk by French Navy over
Indochina
Lack of ammunitions, funds - corrupt officials
PROLOGUE

13.  1894 – Beiyang Fleet considered first-rate
in Asia, largely supported by Li Hongzhang,
Viceroy of Zhili
 Armoured turret ships (TingYuen class)
 8000 tons German-built battleships
 Armoured cruisers KingYuen
 LaiYuen
 Protected cruisers ChenYuen, ChingYuen
Torpedo CruisersTsiYuen
 Kuang Ping class Chaoyong,Yangwei
 Coastal warship Pingyuan
CHINESE
FORCES
PROLOGUE

14. Japanese infantry – initially trained and formed
by French officers
JAPANESE
FORCES
Re-modelled after the Prussian model from 1885
Well equipped with German guns
PROLOGUE

15. Western, high level standard doctrines, military system
and organization
 Improved Mobility by enhancing logistics,
transportation and structures
 In Year 1894, 120000 men and 04
divisions were mobilized
JAPANESE
FORCES
PROLOGUE

16. JAPANESE
FORCES
Japanese Navy - young underdog in 1894
Officers formed by British Navy, Academy
set up by France
1881 - First expansion bill passed,
ordering 46 vessels (French & British
yards) including 2 cruisers
PROLOGUE

17. JAPANESE
FORCES
1886 - Yokosuka Yard refit by French engineer
Emile Berti
Ironclad Hull Ships
1890 – 1st VTE engines (CruiserOshima) and
1892 – 1st HTE engines
1893 – New naval expansion plan passed
PROLOGUE

18. July 1894 - Japanese mustered all available
warships into one combined force
 9 Protected Cruisers
 Matsushima (flagship)
 Itsukushima
 Hashidate
 Naniwa
Takachiho
Yaeyama
 Akitsushima
Yoshino
 Izumi
 Cruiser Chiyoda
 Armored Corvettes
Hiei
 Kongō
 Fusō
JAPANESE
FORCES
PROLOGUE

19.  Known as Sinking of the Kow-
shing
 Small scale engagement,
between the cruiser Naniwa and
the Chinese cruiser Tsi-yuan and
gunboats Kwang-yi and Tsao-
kiang
 At sea to reinforce the escort of
the transport Kow-shing
25 JULY 1894
BATTLE OF PUNGDO
PROLOGUE

20.  Guns blazed for an hour
 Damaged Chinese cruiser fled
 Kwang-yi ran aground to avoid
sinking
 Kow-shing sank, with nearly all
hands
 Naniwa’s captain Tōgō
Heihachirō became a celebrity in
Japan for this feat
25 JULY 1894
BATTLE OF PUNGDO
PROLOGUE

21. 17 SEP 1894
PRELUDE TO BATTLE
OF YALU RIVER
Beiyang fleet - located off the mouth of the Yalu
River
Japanese objective - command of the yellow sea to
allow transport Japanese troops to the mainland
Chinese fleet - tough nut to crack
Two Chinese battleships vs Nil Japanese
PROLOGUE

22.  Li Hongzhang recommended the
Beiyang Fleet to be kept safely in
Lüshunkou
 Guangxu Emperor insisted that
convoys to pass safely and required
neutralizing Japanese Fleet
 Beiyang Fleet intercepted by the
Japanese enroute from the mouth
of the Yalu River, escorting a
convoy
17 SEP 1894
PRELUDE TO BATTLE
OF YALU RIVER
PROLOGUE

24. NARRATIVE

25. Belligerents
Qing China &
Imperial Empire of Japan
Commanders and Leaders
China - Adm Ding Ruchang
Adm Liu Buchan
Japan - VAdm Ito Sukeyuki
RAdm Tsuboi Kozo
NARRATIVE

26. CHINESE
BEIYANG FLEET
02 Battleships
08 Cruisers
02 Corvettes
02 Torpedo boats
NARRATIVE

27. IMPERIAL
JAPANESE NAVY
09 Cruisers
01 Corvette
01 Gunboat
01 Auxiliary Cruiser
NARRATIVE

28. Both fleets approached each
other in contrasting formations
Chinese intended to form a line
with the ships side by side;
wedge formation
Imperial fleet was in column
formation with the flying
squadron in front
Japanese flying squadron
attacked Beiyang’s Fleet
right flank
Chinese opened fire at 5500 Yards;
Japanese held their fire
NARRATIVE

29. Japanese flying squadron
attacked Beiyang’s Fleet
right flankCLICK
NARRATIVE

30. Japanese ships also received
major damages (Yoshino was
hit, Akagi and Saikyo Maru were
put out of action)
Major Japanese ships fired their heavy
and quick firing guns that swept the
decks of Chinese ships and smashed
their superstructures
When flying squadron turned
South, Beiyand fleet was caught
between 02Japanese squadrons
Japanese flying squadron
successfully hunted down &
destroyed the cruiser
Jingyuam
By sunset the Beiyang fleet was
near the point of total collapse
where in most of the fleet had
fled or sunk
NARRATIVE

32. OP ANALYSIS
FORCE COMARISION
CHINESE
BEIYANG FLEET
02 Battleships
08 Cruisers
02 Corvette
02Torpedo boats
IMPERIAL
JAPANESE NAVY
09 Cruisers
01 Corvette
01 Gunboat
01Auxiliary Cruiser

33. ADVANTAGES
 NUMERICAL SUPERIORITY
 SUPERIOR BATTLE SHIPS
 IRON CLAD SHIPS
 BIGGERCALIBER GUNS
DISADVANTAGES
 LOWER SPEED
 LOW RATE OF FIRE
 VINTAGE FLEET
 UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF
COMBAT POTENTIAL IN
FORMATION
OP ANALYSIS
FORCE COMARISION

34. OP ANALYSIS
FORCE COMARISION

35. OP ANALYSIS
FORCE COMARISION
ADVANTAGES
 MVREAND FAST
 HIGHER RATE OF FIRE
 LATESTAND MODERN SHIPS
DISADVANTAGES
 LESSER IN NUMBERS
 NO BATTLE SHIPS
 LOW RATE OF FIRE

36.  STRATEGIC LOCATION
BETWEEN CHINA AND KOREA
 CHINESE FLEET ORDERED NOT
TO CROSS SOUTH OF YALU
RIVER
 JAPNESE COULD OPERATE
FREELY ON WEST COAST OF
KOREA
OP ANALYSIS
FACTOR OF SPACE

37.  DESTROYED ONE CHINESE
SHIP PRIOR TO BATTLE IN SEP
1894
 ONE DAY AFTER DECISIVE
VICTORY ON LAND - HIGHER
TEMPO
 BATTLE LASTED ONLY FIVE
HOURS
OP ANALYSIS
FACTOR OFTIME

38. OP ANALYSIS
FACTOR OF INFORMATION
JAPANESE FLEET WAS AWARE OF
MOVEMENTOF CHINESE FLEET
EASYTO DETECT
GAP IN INFORMATION FLOW

39. OP ANALYSIS
RESOURCE CONSTRAINT
 UNAVAILABILITY OF
AMMUNITION WITH
CHINESE
 POOR MATERIAL STATE
OF AMMUNITION HELD
 WRONG CALIBER OF
AMMUNITION
 LIMITED LIVE
AMMUNITION

40. OP ANALYSIS
MISC FACTORS
 ADVANCED WESTERN TRAINING OF JAPANESE
 JAPANESE EVOLVED MODERN TACTICS AND
DOCTRINES
 POOR DISCIPLNE MORALE AND TRAINING OF CHINESE
TROOPS
 FASTER SPEED AND MOBILITY OF JAPANESE SHIPS

41. OP ANALYSIS
MISC FACTORS
 CHINESE TACTICS OF PLACING WEAKER SHIPS IN
FLANKS
 JAPANESE EXPLOITED WEAKENESS OF CHINESE
TACTICS
 WEAK AND CORRUPT NATIONAL AND MILITARY
LEADERSHIP
 POOR C2 OF CHINESE FLEET

43. WIDELY STUDIED FOR
OPERATIONAL AND
TACTICAL LESSONS
 MYTH OF CHINESE
SUPERIORITY
LESSONS LEARNT

44. NON UNIFIEDAND REGIONAL NAVIES
Absence of unified and modern national
armed forces
Existence of regional armies and navies
Rivalry between Nanyang Fleet and
Beiyang Fleet
Leadership at apex level
LESSONS LEARNT

45. STRATEGIC & TACTICAL AIM
No comprehensive Chinese plans
Giant pincer movement
Contingency planning
LESSONS LEARNT

46.  Chinese indifference
towards Japanese
 Ignored growth of
Japanese Navy
LACK OF PERCEPTION AND INTELLIGENCE
LESSONS LEARNT

47. In-effective tactical communication
Hesitation of leadership to acknowledge
orders
Japanese destruction of Dingyuan’s
foremast
Information superiority of Japanese
TACTICAL COMMUNICATION
LESSONS LEARNT

48. Rapid assimilation of western
technology - Japanese
Poor quality of Chinese
ammunition
Slow industrial advancements -
Chinese
MODERN TECHNOLOGY
LESSONS LEARNT

49.  Heavier Chinese ships
 Speed and mobility of
Japanese ships
LITTORAL WARFARE
LESSONS LEARNT

50. Outdated main guns – Chinese
Poorly skilled Chinese crew
GUN MOUNTING AND SKILLS
LESSONS LEARNT

51. 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
Casualities
FINALLY….

52. FINALLY….
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