Episode 277 - Marco Polo Bridge

The struggle for Shanghai only expanded in late August as the Japanese landed regular army divisions to attack the city from the north. Desperate fighting for both sides ensued as the surrounding villages and countryside became hotly contested pieces of real estate. All the while the scale of the battle would only seem to expand from there.    Bibliography for this episode:    Mitter, Rana Forgotten Ally: China's World War II 1937-1945 Mariner Books 2013 van de Ven, Hans China At War: Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of the New China Profile Books Ltd 2017 van de Ven, Hans War and Nationalism in China, 1925-1945 Routledge 2003 van de Ven, Hans, Mark Peattie, and Edward J. Drea The Battle for China: Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945 Stanford University Press 2011 Frank, Richard B Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War July 1937-May 1942 Pacific War History Inc 2020 Taylor, Jay The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China Harvard University Press 2011 Paine, S.C.M The Wars for Asia 1911-1949 Cambridge University Press 2014 Bix, Herbert P. Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan Perennial 2001 Harmsen, Peter Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze Casemate 2013   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

It did not take long at all for the hostilities in northern China to spread to other parts of the country, mostly because that was Chiang Kai-shek's whole strategy. And while Japanese planners weren't too keen on fighting in and around Shanghai, they weren't about to lose face by shrinking from a direct challenge. The result was a multi-month battle that left both sides bloodied, exhausted, and grimly resigned to the war being a long one.  Also, I updated the bibliographies for the past few episodes! Been a crazy few weeks, finally summoned the wherewithal to get it together.    Bibliography for this episode:    Mitter, Rana Forgotten Ally: China's World War II 1937-1945 Mariner Books 2013 van de Ven, Hans China At War: Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of the New China Profile Books Ltd 2017 van de Ven, Hans War and Nationalism in China, 1925-1945 Routledge 2003 van de Ven, Hans, Mark Peattie, and Edward J. Drea The Battle for China: Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945 Stanford University Press 2011 Frank, Richard B Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War July 1937-May 1942 Pacific War History Inc 2020 Taylor, Jay The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China Harvard University Press 2011 Paine, S.C.M The Wars for Asia 1911-1949 Cambridge University Press 2014 Bix, Herbert P. Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan Perennial 2001 Harmsen, Peter Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze Casemate 2013   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]  

The Second-Sino Japanese War began with a bang around the picturesque riverbanks surrounding the old Marco Polo Bridge. While it was only a skirmish by itself, its aftermath saw a complete breakdown in relations between the two titans of East Asia and the start of an eight-year conflict that is going to be a huge thread in our continued narrative.    Bibliography for this episode:    Mitter, Rana Forgotten Ally: China's World War II 1937-1945 Mariner Books 2013 van de Ven, Hans China At War: Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of the New China Profile Books Ltd 2017 van de Ven, Hans War and Nationalism in China, 1925-1945 Routledge 2003 van de Ven, Hans, Mark Peattie, and Edward J. Drea The Battle for China: Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945 Stanford University Press 2011 Frank, Richard B Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War July 1937-May 1942 Pacific War History Inc 2020 Whitehurst, G. William The China Incident: Igniting the Second Sino-Japanese War McFarland & Company Inc 2021 Taylor, Jay The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China Harvard University Press 2011 Paine, S.C.M The Wars for Asia 1911-1949 Cambridge University Press 2014 Paine, S.C.M The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War Cambridge University Press 2017 Bix, Herbert P. Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan Perennial 2001 McClain, James L A Modern History of Japan WW Norton & Company Inc, 2002 Duus, Peter The Cambridge History of Japan, Volume 6: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 1988 Harmsen, Peter Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze Casemate 2013 Fairbannk, John K & Albert Feuerwerker The Cambridge History of China, Volume 13: Republican China 1912-1949, Part 2 Cambridge University Press 1983   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The war between China and Japan that raged from 1937 to 1945 was one of the great sagas of WWII. And it has been a while since I checked in on both nations, so today I set the stage for both countries before the real deal shooting started at the Marco Polo Bridge in July 1937.    Bibliography for this episode:    Mitter, Rana Forgotten Ally: China's World War II 1937-1945 Mariner Books 2013 van de Ven, Hans China At War: Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of the New China Profile Books Ltd 2017 van de Ven, Hans War and Nationalism in China, 1925-1945 Routledge 2003 van de Ven, Hans, Mark Peattie, and Edward J. Drea The Battle for China: Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945 Stanford University Press 2011 Frank, Richard B Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War July 1937-May 1942 Pacific War History Inc 2020 Whitehurst, G. William The China Incident: Igniting the Second Sino-Japanese War McFarland & Company Inc 2021 Taylor, Jay The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China Harvard University Press 2011 Paine, S.C.M The Wars for Asia 1911-1949 Cambridge University Press 2014 Paine, S.C.M The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War Cambridge University Press 2017 Bix, Herbert P. Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan Perennial 2001 McClain, James L A Modern History of Japan WW Norton & Company Inc, 2002 Duus, Peter The Cambridge History of Japan, Volume 6: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 1988 Harmsen, Peter Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze Casemate 2013 Fairbannk, John K & Albert Feuerwerker The Cambridge History of China, Volume 13: Republican China 1912-1949, Part 2 Cambridge University Press 1983   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

I make a vague and rambling attempt here to explain the condition of the National Revolutionary Army of China by mid-1937. It's not a complete picture, but you'll get enough to appreciate exactly how the war played out.    Bibliography for this episode:    Ness, Leland and Bin Shih Kangzhan: Guide to Chinese Ground Forces 1937-1945 Helion and Company 2016   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

All planes this episode as I close out my overview of the Japanese military with a look at the IJA's air arm.    Bibliography for this episode:    Francillon, Rene J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War Putnam Aeronautical Books 1970 Newdick, Thomas Japanese Aircraft of World War II 1937-1945 Amber Books Ltd 2017 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Allowing myself but one katana joke, today I am covering the weapons of the Japanese military. Quality stuff here and there, but the most striking pieces were the ones where the Japanese had to compromise heavily on account of a lack of resources.    Bibliography for this episode:    Ness, Leland Rikugun: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945, Volume 2: Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces Helion & Company 2014 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Today I finally get to talk about the IJA, specifically its organization and doctrine. Turns out a conflict with China was a low priority and that came back to bite them!   Bibliography for this episode:    Ness, Leland Rikugun: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945, Volume 1: Tactical Organization of Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces Helion & Company 2014 Peattie, Mark, Edward J. Drea, and Hanx van de Ven The Battle for China, Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945 Stanford University Press 2011   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

My deep-dive into the Imperial Japanese Navy concludes with the unexpected heart of the fleet, the carriers!   Bibliography for this episode:    Evans, David C. and Mark R. Peattie Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941 Naval Institute Press 1997 Peattie, Mark R Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941 Naval Institute Press 2013 Stille, Mark E. The Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War Osprey Publishing 2013 Newdick, Thomas Japanese Aircraft of World War II 1937-1945 Amber Books Ltd 2017 Francillon, Rene J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War Putnam Aeronautical Books 1970 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

I'm a little under the weather, so all business today. I'm talking about the heavy cruisers, battleships, and submarines of the IJN.   Bibliography for this episode:    Evans, David C. and Mark R. Peattie Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941 Naval Institute Press 1997 Stille, Mark E. The Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War Osprey Publishing 2013 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]