Overview | Battle in Shanghai | Invasion of Nanking

On July 7, 1937, a battle was sparked between Japanese and Chinese troops at Lugouqiao, or the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. This conflict between the two nations developed into a full-scale war known as the Second Sino-Japanese war. The hostility from the Chinese that was escalating since Japan's conquest of Manchuria in 1932 and the resentment towards the puppet Manchukuo regime, led the two countries into another war in central China. One battle took place in Shanghai, one of the most developed internationally active cities in Asia.

The Imperial Japanese Army generals may have underestimated the Chinese army since they had won many victories in Northern China. However, they were proved wrong and faced an equal number of causalities from the Chinese.  During the battle of Shanghai, there was house-to-house fighting, bombs detonating the city and naval gunfire from infantry units. Both sides continuously reinforced their troops in order to make up their heavy losses. The battle in Shanghai ended in mid-November when Japan's 10th Army and 16th Divisions entered the battle scene threatening the Chinese forces border. They forced the Chinese army to withdraw towards the west. On November 19, the 10th Army, led by Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke, cabled to the Japanese Army Headquarters to push the Chinese soldiers to Nanking. The Imperial Headquarters reappointed General Matsui Iwane as the commander-in-chief, and newly appointed Lieutenant General Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, Emperor Hirohito's uncle, took command.

The war in Shanghai was a significant battle that caused both sides some damage, and caused them to feel hatred and vengeance for each other. The Battle of Shanghai might have created the psychological conditions that allowed the rampage in Nanking.

Reference:

K, M. "Introduction; Reign of Terror; Postwar Judgment; In the 1990s." Online
Documentary: The Nanking Atrocities. August 2000. 21 Jul 2007
<http://www.geocities.com/nankingatrocities/Introduction/introduction.htm>.

"Nanjing Massacre." Nanking Massacre. 1998-2007. TravelChinaguide.com. 2 Aug 2007 <http://www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/jiangsu/nanjing/nanjing-massacre/index-2.htm>.