Battle of Nanking

Battle of Nanking
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Japanese soldiers stand atop the ruins of Nanjing's Zhongshan Gate on December 13 with Zijinshan in the background.
Date (1937-12-01) (1937-12-13)December 1–13, 1937 (1 week and 5 days) Location Nanjing and surrounding areas, Republic of China Result Japanese victory Fall of Nanjing Beginning of the Nanjing Massacre
Belligerents
China Supported by:  Soviet Union[1]	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Tang Shengzhi	Prince Asaka Iwane Matsui
Units involved
Nanjing Garrison Force Soviet Volunteer Group[1]	Central China Area Army
Strength
73,790 to 81,500[2]	200,000[3]
Casualties and losses
6,000-10,000 killed and wounded 36,500—40,000 killed after capture[4]	1,953 killed 4,994 wounded[5]
100,000–200,000 civilians killed in subsequent massacre

The Battle of Nanking (or Nanjing) was fought in early December 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War between the Chinese National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army for control of Nanjing (Nanking), the capital of the Republic of China.

Following the outbreak of war between Japan and China in July 1937, the Japanese government at first attempted to contain the fighting and sought a negotiated settlement to the war. However, after victory in the Battle of Shanghai expansionists prevailed within the Japanese military and on December 1 a campaign to capture Nanjing was officially authorized. The task of occupying Nanjing was given to General Iwane Matsui, the commander of Japan's Central China Area Army, who believed that the capture of Nanjing would force China to surrender and thus end the war. Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek ultimately decided to defend the city and appointed Tang Shengzhi to command the Nanjing Garrison Force, a hastily assembled army of local conscripts and the remnants of the Chinese units who had fought in Shanghai.

Japanese soldiers marched from Shanghai to Nanjing at a breakneck pace, rapidly defeating pockets of Chinese resistance. By December 9 they had reached the last line of defense, the Fukuo Line, behind which lay Nanjing's fortified walls. On December 10 Matsui ordered an all-out attack on Nanjing, and after less than two days of intense fighting Chiang decided to abandon the city. Before fleeing, Tang ordered his men to launch a concerted breakout of the Japanese siege, but by this time Nanjing was largely surrounded and its defenses were at the breaking point. Most of Tang's troops simply collapsed in a disorganized rout. While some units were able to escape, many more were caught in the death trap the city had become. Many soldiers cast off their weapons and uniforms in the streets in the hopes of hiding among the city's civilian population.

Following the capture of the city Japanese soldiers massacred Chinese prisoners of war, murdered civilians, and committed acts of looting, torture, and rape in an event known as the Nanjing Massacre. Though Japan's military victory excited and emboldened them, the subsequent massacre tarnished their reputation in the eyes of the world. Contrary to Matsui's expectations, China did not surrender and the Second Sino-Japanese War continued for another eight years.