timeline Sino-Japanese War, 1931–45

A conflict that claimed 20 million lives began with one missing soldier at Bridge surrenders

Japanese ascendency US support of For the remainder of the Second World War, periodic Japanese successes were offset by Chinese guerrilla tactics, and Japanese The early twentieth century had seen a continued decline of In 1938 and 1939 Japan consolidated its gains on the coast but control of key cities was never extended to the Chinese Chinese influence and the growth of Japanese power on the found it impossible to defeat Chinese forces decisively, despite countryside. The main significance of this theatre of war was Asian mainland. Having already annexed in 1910, Japan the massive use of indiscriminate bombing campaigns. Periodic that it tied up Japanese resources that might have been invaded in 1931. Further encroachment into a Chinese military successes and a refusal to negotiate led to a decisive elsewhere. When Japan surrendered following the politically weakened China followed. In the summer of 1937 a stalemate. Japan lacked the manpower to occupy China while atomic bombing of and , it still occupied relatively minor skirmish between Chinese and Japanese troops China lacked the military resources to defeat Japan. China’s large parts of . China was treated as one of the (the Marco Polo Bridge incident) quickly escalated into a war, geopolitical importance changed dramatically after the Japanese major victorious powers and granted a seat on the UN Security partly because the Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek decided to attack on the US Navy at Pearl Harbour. The entrance of the Council. All the territory Japan had seized since 1895 was resist further Japanese demands. Despite meeting more military USA into the Second World War, and particularly returned to China. The Sino-Japanese war, like that in Russia, resistance than expected, the Japanese quickly captured , theatre, transformed China into an important ally. The USA and was marked by a very high death toll. Official Chinese sources and the Chinese capital Nanking. The systematic Britain began to supply China with military hardware and in state that c.20 million people were killed between 1937 and slaughter of several hundred thousand in Nanking return Chinese soldiers intervened to help the allies in Burma 1945, most of them civilians. Relations between China and became known as the ‘Rape of Nanking’. and Indochina. Japan remain soured by this conflict.

The Marco Polo or Luguo Bridge, near Beijing

7 July 1937 August–Nov 1937 March 1938 April–May 1939 April 1942 January 1945 Marco Polo Bridge Battle of Shanghai Chinese victory at Chinese victory at Chinese soldiers enter Chinese troops help re-establish road incident Battle of Taierzhuang Battle of Suizao Burma link between India and China via Burma 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946

December 1941 April–Nov 1944 Japan attacks Pearl Operation Ichigo extends Japanese Soviet troops invade 2 Harbour control in Southern China Manchuria Surrender of Japan

ModernHistoryReviewExtras December 1937 October 1938 Go online for a printable of this centre spread Tim Lockley is a professor of American history at the University Japan captures Beijing Rape of Nanking Japan captures (www.hoddereducation.co.uk/historyreviewextras) of Warwick.

16 Modern History Review April 2019 www.hoddereducation.co.uk/historyreview 17