It participated in the Japanese Northern China Area Army to fight in the Battle of Xuzhou from January 1938 and followed the Second Army again in July of the same year to fight in the Battle of Wuhan and was incorporated into the Eleventh Army (Imperial Japanese Army) in December.
1938年（昭和13年）1月から北支那方面軍隷下徐州会戦に参戦し、同年7月再び第2軍隷下となり武漢作戦攻略戦に参戦、12月には第11軍(日本軍)に編入された。