World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseHan Deqin was born in He, Siyang County, Jiangsu Province, China during the Qing Dynasty. After graduating with the sixth class of the Baoding Military Academy in China, he originally served in support of of the Beiyang Government, reaching company commander rank in the mid-1920s, but in 1926 he switched allegiance to the Nationalist Party. In 1927, he was named the chief of staff of the Nationalist Chinese 3rd Division. In 1928, he was named the chief of staff of the 9th Corps while also holding the position of the deputy divisional commanding officer of the 3rd Division. Between late 1928 and 1929, he commanded at that battalion level. In 1930, he was given command of the 52nd Division, but the defeat by communists in Aug 1931 caused him to be demoted to be the deputy division commander of the 2nd Division. In Jan 1931, he was awarded the Order of Precious Tripod 3rd Class. In Apr 1932, he became a government committee member of his home province, Jiangsu. In 1935, he became a government committee member of Guizhou Province in southern China. Han was assigned to the Military Committee in Chongqing, China in Nov 1935 while still holding his position in Guizhou Province. In Jan 1936, he was awarded the Order of Precious Tripod 2nd Class and was promoted to the rank of major general. In Aug 1936, he began his second term as a Guizhou committee member. In Nov 1936, he was awarded the Order of Resplendent Banner 4th Class. When WW2 began in China in 1937, he was named the chief of staff of the Third War Area. In Jan 1938, he was named the deputy commanding officer of the Chinese 24th Army with personal command over the 33rd Division. In May 1938, he was named the chairman of the Jiangsu Province government, which which time he played a critical role in the establishment of the 89th Corps which would see important victories in the war. After the fall of Jiangsu Province early in the war, he played only small roles in the war until he was named the deputy commanding officer of the Third War Area. In 1946, he was assigned to Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, becoming the deputy commander of the Xuzhou regional headquarters of the Army of the Republic of China in the following year. In 1948, he participated in the first session of the National Assembly as a representative of Jiangsu Province. In Apr 1949, he became a personal military advisor to President Chiang Kaishek. After his retirement, he became a chief administrator at the private Qaing Shu High School in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China as well as running an association of former Jiangsu Province residents. He passed away in 1988.

Han Deqin Timeline