Analyzing the “Photographic Evidence” of the Nanking Massacre

The Japanese army chased the retreating Chinese troops to settle the score. The9th and 16th Divisions of the SEF marched westward to the north of Lake Taihu toNanking while the 6th Division of the 10th Army took a route to the south of the lake toconverge with the SEF contingents in Nanking.The Japanese army’s advance to Nanking can be characterized as a forced march.Almost all units traversed the distance of some 400 kilometers to Nanking in a matter ofone month. Assuming that the capture of the adversary’s capital would mark the end ofthe war, all the units hailing from different regions of Japan were eager to reach Nankingfirst for the honor.Collected excerpts from field diaries kept by 423 soldiers of the 6th Division—which was edited by Higashinakano Shūdō and published as 1937 Nankin kōryakusen noshinjitsu [The Truth of the Nanking Campaign 1937](Tokyo, Shogakukan,2003)—reveals other intriguing features of this forced march.A scene from the Shanghaifront: March on a muddyroad—a vehicle immobilized inmud.” Mainichi-ban shina-jihengahō [Sino-Japanese WarPictorial Report by TheMainichi Newspaper], no. 8,November 1, 1937, p. 28.First, they often found themselves dragging their feet on muddy roads. Therewere nine rainy days between November 5—when the 10th Army landed to the south ofShanghai—and November 17. As a result, roads of clay became muddy and slippery.Many soldiers fell a number of times, and some of them even tumbled into creeks. Theyhad a tough time pulling their feet out of the mud and found it extremely difficult tomove the artillery and supply wagons forward. The cold November temperature madetheir predicament even worse.Second, these men recorded the crossing of creeks as energy-sucking endeavors.Because the creeks in the Yangzi estuary were for ship transportation, they were generallydeep even though they were not very wide. The retreating Chinese troops demolishedalmost all of the bridges to prevent or delay the Japanese army’s advance. Accordingly,the Japanese soldiers had to cross these creeks either by requisitioning boats or buildingmake-shift bridges. It was at such moments that the Chinese army capitalized to attackthe Japanese.16