WW2/Battles of WW2/Date-by-Date/China – Second Sino-Japanese War • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
The fall of China's capital, Nanjing, whose collapse was followed by mass atrocities against civilians and prisoners now known as the Nanjing Massacre. (1–13 December 1937)
Chronological Storyline (14 Milestones)
Dec 1, 1937 CE
Japanese High Command orders Nanjing attack
Emperor Hirohito formally endorsed the Imperial General Headquarters order to attack Nanjing, removing constraints on advancing beyond the earlier line and committing the Central China Area Army under General Iwane Matsui to capture the capital. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nanjing
Nanjing Massacre: A history that must never be forgottenThe morment of the blast, at the Gate of China.(Dec. 12, 1937 0:10pm) By Sweeper tamonten - China Incident Photograph Album Volume 2(Shina Jihen Shashin Zenshu Vol. 2), published in 1938 by Asahi Shimbun., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3991461
Dec 2, 1937 CE
Tang Shengzhi appointed defense commander
Chiang Kai-shek named General Tang Shengzhi commander of the Nanjing Garrison, tasked with defending a perimeter with roughly 100,000 troops, many of whom were exhausted survivors from the Shanghai campaign. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Shengzhi
Tang Shengzhi(1889 - 1970) By --天竺鼠 (talk) 08:37, 23 August 2009 (UTC) - Saishin Shina Youjinden,Asahi Shinbunsha,1941, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7632268
Dec 3, 1937 CE
Japanese advance columns reach Nanjing outskirts
Elements of the Japanese 16th Division advancing from the east reached the outer defense lines of Nanjing, beginning probing attacks against Chinese positions at Tangshan and other perimeter strongpoints. Source — Wikipedia:
The morment of the blast, at the Gate of China.(Dec. 12, 1937 0:10pm) By Sweeper tamonten - China Incident Photograph Album Volume 2(Shina Jihen Shashin Zenshu Vol. 2), published in 1938 by Asahi Shimbun., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3991461
Dec 5, 1937 CE
Chiang Kai-shek departs the capital
Chiang Kai-shek and key government leaders left Nanjing for Hankou, signaling to many defenders and civilians that the capital's fall was anticipated and undermining morale among the remaining garrison. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek
Official portrait of Chiang Kai-shek in 1955 By Unknown photographer - https://www.president.gov.tw/Page/83https://ahonline.drnh.gov.tw/index.php?act=Display/image/1963743AxkcLp=#d7J, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58340928
Dec 7, 1937 CE
Japanese forces assault outer defensive line
The Japanese 16th Division attacked Chinese positions at Tangshan while the 9th Division pressed toward Chunhua, meeting determined but increasingly disorganized resistance from Tang Shengzhi's garrison forces. Source — Wikipedia:
The morment of the blast, at the Gate of China.(Dec. 12, 1937 0:10pm) By Sweeper tamonten - China Incident Photograph Album Volume 2(Shina Jihen Shashin Zenshu Vol. 2), published in 1938 by Asahi Shimbun., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3991461
Dec 9, 1937 CE
Japanese aircraft drop surrender ultimatum
Japanese aircraft dropped leaflets over Nanjing demanding the city's surrender within 24 hours, threatening annihilation if refused; Tang Shengzhi did not respond, and the deadline expired without capitulation. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nanjing
The morment of the blast, at the Gate of China.(Dec. 12, 1937 0:10pm) By Sweeper tamonten - China Incident Photograph Album Volume 2(Shina Jihen Shashin Zenshu Vol. 2), published in 1938 by Asahi Shimbun., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3991461
Dec 10, 1937 CE
Japanese launch full-scale assault on city walls
General Matsui ordered a general assault on Nanjing's city walls; the 9th Division attacked Guanghua Gate and the 114th Division struck Zhonghua Gate, with intense fighting and heavy casualties on both sides. Source — Wikipedia:
The morment of the blast, at the Gate of China.(Dec. 12, 1937 0:10pm) By Sweeper tamonten - China Incident Photograph Album Volume 2(Shina Jihen Shashin Zenshu Vol. 2), published in 1938 by Asahi Shimbun., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3991461
Dec 11, 1937 CE
Tang Shengzhi receives Chiang's retreat order
Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram instructing Tang Shengzhi to abandon the defense and withdraw, but the order arrived amid chaotic fighting, and poor communication meant many units would never receive coordinated retreat instructions. Source — Wikipedia:
Tang Shengzhi(1889 - 1970) By --天竺鼠 (talk) 08:37, 23 August 2009 (UTC) - Saishin Shina Youjinden,Asahi Shinbunsha,1941, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7632268
Dec 12, 1937 CE
Chinese defense collapses; retreat becomes rout
Tang Shengzhi ordered a general retreat, but the withdrawal disintegrated into chaos as thousands of soldiers and civilians converged on Yijiang Gate; many Chinese soldiers shed their uniforms and mingled with civilians attempting to flee. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nanjing
The morment of the blast, at the Gate of China.(Dec. 12, 1937 0:10pm) By Sweeper tamonten - China Incident Photograph Album Volume 2(Shina Jihen Shashin Zenshu Vol. 2), published in 1938 by Asahi Shimbun., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3991461
Dec 13, 1937 CE
Japanese troops enter and capture Nanjing
The Japanese 16th Division entered through Zhongshan Gate and the 6th Division through Zhonghua Gate; by afternoon Japanese forces controlled the city, beginning the occupation that would lead to the Nanjing Massacre. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nanjing
The morment of the blast, at the Gate of China.(Dec. 12, 1937 0:10pm) By Sweeper tamonten - China Incident Photograph Album Volume 2(Shina Jihen Shashin Zenshu Vol. 2), published in 1938 by Asahi Shimbun., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3991461
Dec 13, 1937 CE
Mass killings begin at Yijiang Gate and wharves
Japanese troops killed large numbers of Chinese soldiers and civilians at the Yijiang Gate bottleneck and along the Yangtze wharves where fleeing troops and civilians had gathered, marking the first day of the Nanjing Massacre. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Massacre
Bodies of victims along Qinhuai River out of Nanjing's west gate during Nanjing Massacre. By Originally Moriyasu Murase, 村瀬守保 - Derivative work of a photograph taken by Moriyasu Murase 村瀬守保写真集 私の従軍中国戦線，日本機関紙出版センター，1987年12月20日，46頁，写真139，ISBN 4-88900-218-9, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=978955
Dec 14, 1937 CE
Japanese sweep city for disarmed Chinese soldiers
Japanese units conducted systematic house-to-house searches in the Nanjing Safety Zone, rounding up thousands of Chinese men suspected of being former soldiers and executing them en masse at locations including the Mufu Mountains. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Massacre
Bodies of victims along Qinhuai River out of Nanjing's west gate during Nanjing Massacre. By Originally Moriyasu Murase, 村瀬守保 - Derivative work of a photograph taken by Moriyasu Murase 村瀬守保写真集 私の従軍中国戦線，日本機関紙出版センター，1987年12月20日，46頁，写真139，ISBN 4-88900-218-9, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=978955
Dec 15, 1937 CE
International Committee protests to Japanese embassy
The International Committee for the Nanjing Safety Zone, led by John Rabe, sent a letter to the Japanese Embassy documenting mass killings of civilians and requesting restraint, but the atrocities continued unabated. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Safety_Zone
江苏省南京市 By 董辰兴 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85681132
Dec 16, 1937 CE
Mass execution at Mufu Mountain continues
Japanese forces continued large-scale executions of captured Chinese soldiers and civilians near the Mufu Mountains and along the Yangtze River, with estimates of thousands killed in these operations over several days. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Massacre
Bodies of victims along Qinhuai River out of Nanjing's west gate during Nanjing Massacre. By Originally Moriyasu Murase, 村瀬守保 - Derivative work of a photograph taken by Moriyasu Murase 村瀬守保写真集 私の従軍中国戦線，日本機関紙出版センター，1987年12月20日，46頁，写真139，ISBN 4-88900-218-9, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=978955
