Analyzing the “Photographic Evidence” of the Nanking Massacre

Chapter 1: Realities of the Battle for NankingChinese strategy: Drawing the Japanese troops inlandIt has been frequently alleged that the Japanese army slaughtered 200,000 to300,000 civilians and prisoners of war (POWs), and committed heinous crimes such astorture, rape, and arson extensively for about six weeks following the occupation ofNanking in December 1937. Some commentators of the “great massacre school” haveback-dated the massacre to the start of the Battle of Shanghai in August 1937. Appraisalof these contentions absolutely requires the analysis of the Japanese army’s operationsthat led to the occupation of NankingNankingShanghaiA bird’s-eye view map of Shanghai and its vicinity (Courtesy of Inagaki Kiyoshi).China in the 1920s and 1930s was not such a unified nation as it is today.Instead, she was under the divided rule of numerous warlords. Many Western nationalsand Japanese resided in such a chaotic country either to perform diplomatic duties or toengage in commercial activities. These west and Japan were allowed to station theirtroops in the Beijing-Tianjin area in accordance with the Boxer Protocol of 1901. Themajor powers, including Japan, and China signed the Boxer Protocol after the BoxerRebellion of 1899-1900—a large-scale rebellion in which a chauvinistic organizationcommonly called the “Boxers” by the Westerners instigated mob violence and caused asubstantial number of fatalities among foreigners. The treaty also entitled these legationtroops to conduct military drills in the area between Beijing and Shanhaikuan.It was Chiang Kai-shek’s GMD that eventually had the greatest influence amongthe various power players in China in the 1920s. Chiang embarked on a militarycampaign to unify the country in 1927 with his troops. Through this campaign, knownas the “Northern Expedition,” Chiang successfully destroyed or subdued the warlords.The GMD then began to tighten its ring around the CCP.13