Japan's decision to capture Nanjing
The conflict which would become known as the Second Sino-Japanese War started on July 7, 1937, with a skirmish at Marco Polo Bridge which … See more

By the start of December, Japan's Central China Area Army had swollen in strength to over 160,000 men, though only about 70,000 of these … See more

Opening shots
In the dawn of December 9, Japanese soldiers from the 36th Infantry Regiment engaged a battalion of the elite Training Division outside the Nanjing city wall near the Guanghua gate (Gate of Enlightenment). … See more

The capture of Nanjing had been quicker and easier than the Japanese had foreseen. According to Iwane Matsui's diary, they lost only 1,953 soldiers in battle, plus 4,994 … See more

China's defense preparations
Following the Manchurian Incident of 1931, the Chinese government began a fast track national defense program with massive construction … See more

Battles of Chunhua and the Two Peaks
On December 5, Chiang Kai-shek paid a visit to a defensive encampment near Jurong to boost the morale of his men but was forced to leave when the Imperial Japanese Army began their attack on the battlefield. On that … See more

"Mopping-up operations:" the mass execution of prisoners
The fighting in Nanjing did not end on the night of December 12–13, when the Japanese Army took the remaining gates and entered the city. During their mopping-up operations in the … See more