The Battle of West Henan–North Hubei (simplified Chinese: 豫西鄂北会战; traditional Chinese: 豫西鄂北會戰; pinyin: Yù Xī È Běi Huìzhàn) was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was fought in March–May 1945 in northern Hubei and western Henan. While it was a tactical stalemate, the Japanese forces at Laohekou in Hubei seized control of the local airbase, denying Chinese forces any localized air support, after heavy fighting from 22 March to 8 April. Japan lost a failed counteroffensive in fighting against Chinese north of Xixia in Henan from 5 April to 10 May.
Battles of Laohekou in Hubei
On 22 March, the 110th and 115th divisions of the Japanese 12th army in the I War Zone attacked west towards Laohekou airbase and Laohekou town, avoiding Nanyang where the Chinese 143rd division was. Laohekou airbase was attacked by the Japanese 4th Cavalry brigade and 3rd armoured division from the centre, and by the 110th Division from its north. The airbase was taken by the 4th cavalry brigade on 27 March, but the Chinese 125th division in Laohekou town itself repulsed repeated Japanese assaults on the town by the Japanese 4th cavalry brigade, which suffered heavy casualties. Japan was forced to call for the Japanese 39th division to march from the south to stop Chinese reinforcements on 28 March. Japan then attacked Laohekou town again on 7 April with all its strength and only occupied it on 8 April.
Battles in Henan
The 68th, 85th and 89th Armies of the Chinese 31st Army Group launched an attack on 5 April against the Japanese army 110th division in an area in Henan 110km north of Xixia town. The Japanese were in trouble since they only had 6 infantry battalions so they sent an artillery battalion and 2 infantry battalions to reinforce them, but even they were not enough and Japan sent 5 more infantry battalions to stabilise the front lines against China. Japan then attempted a failed counterattack against the Chinese starting on 29 April, a Japanese military report claimed that the Chinese "inflicted tremendous casualties on the Japanese and, on 10 May, the 110th Division suspended its attack in order to re-form its line, Taking advantage of this opportunity, the enemy attacked but this time the Japanese succeeded in pushing them back."