World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseXiao Yisu, born Xiao Changyan, entered a military academy in Yunnan Province, China in 1916, and joined the local warlord forces in Sichuan Province, China in 1920. In 1925, he rose to brigade command with another Sichuan-based force that would soon see its end. In 1930, he moved to Shanghai, China, and did not participat in military matters. In 1934, he was persuaded by General Guo Rugui to don his uniform once again. In 1936, upon completing war college courses, he was made a major general in the National Revolutionary Army. In 1937, after the start of WW2, he was named the chief of staff of the 43rd Corps under Guo. In this role, Xiao saw action during the Second Battle of Shanghai. After the defeat at Shanghai, he was transferred to General He Yingqin's headquarters as a senior staff officer. In 1943, he was made the chief of staff of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma. In 1944, he was made the chief of staff of the Chinese Army. In early 1945, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. At the end of the war, he accepted the surrender of Japanese forces at Zhijiang, Hunan Province, China on 21 Aug 1945 and was present at the Japanese surrender in Nanjing, China on 9 Sep 1945. In 1946, he was transferred to Chongqing, China, and in 1948 he took on the concurrent task of heading the city's guard forces. In Jun 1948, he was made the deputy head of the Department of Defense. At the end of the year, he was made the vice chief of staff of the department. He evacuated to Taiwan in Dec 1949 after the communist takeover of mainland China. Continuing to serve with the Department of Defense, Xiao was promoted to the high rank of General Second Class in 1953. He passed away in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China in Jul 1975.

Xiao Yisu Interactive Map

Photographs

Xiao Yisu Timeline