World War II actually is the union of two separate wars that, when joined, drew the entire world into conflict. It was not until September 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, that France and Britain finally declared war on Germany. If ever there was a lesson to be learned from World War I, Germany did it by developing and perfecting the tactic of Blitzkrieg - the complete antithesis of trench warfare.
Germany's main focus was to the East, and in June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Eastern Front represented the bloodiest conflict of World War II, resulting in the deaths of 30 MILLION people - more than all other World War II theatres combined. This front also was spurred by an insatiable sense of racism - Hitler truly believed the Slavic race was inferior to his Aryan race.
I started out by saying World War II was the union of two wars, and to better illustrate Japan's movement across China, we will compare China to the United States:
In 1931, Japan invaded and secured Manchuria for its industrial capabilities. Comparably, this would be the entire New England region of the U.S., including Maine, Massachusetts and New York - and everything in between. War between China and Japan erupted on July 7, 1937, in the Marco Polo Bridge incident. Located just outside Beijing, the Marco Polo incident would be the equivalent of fighting occurring just outside New York City.
Japan expected a quick victory, and even bragged that all of China would fall in three months. Surprisingly, her forces got bogged down in 1937 in Shanghai - the geographical equivalent of Norfolk, Va. This delay infuriated the Japanese army to the point of near insanity. Their appetites whetted for revenge, the Spirit Warriors moved west to the capital city of Nanking - strategically and geographically, our Washington, D.C.
In mid-December 1937, some 50,000 Japanese soldiers approached Nanking. Having been told the city was safe and would not fall, Nanking's population swelled to over 1 million civilians, military personnel and refugees. A chaotic and unorganized resistance did little to slow the Japanese advance, and on Dec. 13, 1937, Japanese troops smashed through the city gates.
The Eastern conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union represented the bloodiest front in World War II, but the Rape of Nanking was the single worst atrocity. Ordered to "Kill all captives", the Japanese soldiers exterminated all Chinese POWs. Some Chinese soldiers were gunned down en masse by machine gun, bayoneted to death, beheaded, or buried alive. Still others were drenched with gasoline and burned alive. Japanese treatment of Chinese civilians went beyond appalling: Those who were not killed outright were tortured and mutilated. No one was safe - groups of Chinese civilians were herded into buildings, which were set afire. The Japanese took great pleasure in watching them jump from burning rooftops. A well-publicized contest occurred between two Japanese officers in their "race to behead a hundred civilians," including praise and admiration.
All women, aged from over 70 to younger than 8, were gang-raped, beaten, tortured and mutilated - while their husbands and family members were forced to watch. Fetuses were cut from wombs, and the streets of Nanking were said to have literally run red with blood.
The animalistic attack and destruction of Nanking went unabated for six weeks - more than 300,000 people were murdered, and more than 20,000 women brutally raped. This incident was well documented by the Japanese, and here in the United States, many people did not believe it - it was way too far-fetched to have actually occurred.
The Rape of Nanking remains the single most atrocious act of World War II. My younger sister Sarah recently visited the museum in China that is dedicated to this event:
The Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. is a sobering experience. The Nanking museum is similar, and includes artifacts from the incident, including video footage, photographs and newspaper articles. There are even actual letters and patches given to Japanese soldiers from their wives, telling them to "Kill as many of the subhuman Chinese as you can." What is most shocking, however, is that as you are walking throughout the museum, you look down. The floor is made of glass, and beneath your feet are millions of human bones. The Nanking museum is built on an actual mass grave from the incident - this is where it occurred.
Shortly after the Nanking Massacre, the United Stated imposed economic sanctions on Japan. By 1940, it was illegal to sell ANY oil or rubber to Japan, meaning the country either would have to tone down its aggression, or acquire more resources. By July 1940, the Japanese government announced a New Order called the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" - essentially, a United States of Asia, with Japan at the center. Like Germany in Europe, Japan seemed unstoppable - she may have even been spurred on by Germany's successes.
Unbelievably, the "unstoppable" army of Japan would first be defeated on land by the most unlikely of forces, some of whom had never even held a rifle before being shipped to the front lines. Tune in next week, when Japan makes the mistake of knocking on Australia's front door.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a weekly column for Friday editions of the Times. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
Germany's main focus was to the East, and in June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Eastern Front represented the bloodiest conflict of World War II, resulting in the deaths of 30 MILLION people - more than all other World War II theatres combined. This front also was spurred by an insatiable sense of racism - Hitler truly believed the Slavic race was inferior to his Aryan race.
I started out by saying World War II was the union of two wars, and to better illustrate Japan's movement across China, we will compare China to the United States:
In 1931, Japan invaded and secured Manchuria for its industrial capabilities. Comparably, this would be the entire New England region of the U.S., including Maine, Massachusetts and New York - and everything in between. War between China and Japan erupted on July 7, 1937, in the Marco Polo Bridge incident. Located just outside Beijing, the Marco Polo incident would be the equivalent of fighting occurring just outside New York City.
Japan expected a quick victory, and even bragged that all of China would fall in three months. Surprisingly, her forces got bogged down in 1937 in Shanghai - the geographical equivalent of Norfolk, Va. This delay infuriated the Japanese army to the point of near insanity. Their appetites whetted for revenge, the Spirit Warriors moved west to the capital city of Nanking - strategically and geographically, our Washington, D.C.
In mid-December 1937, some 50,000 Japanese soldiers approached Nanking. Having been told the city was safe and would not fall, Nanking's population swelled to over 1 million civilians, military personnel and refugees. A chaotic and unorganized resistance did little to slow the Japanese advance, and on Dec. 13, 1937, Japanese troops smashed through the city gates.
The Eastern conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union represented the bloodiest front in World War II, but the Rape of Nanking was the single worst atrocity. Ordered to "Kill all captives", the Japanese soldiers exterminated all Chinese POWs. Some Chinese soldiers were gunned down en masse by machine gun, bayoneted to death, beheaded, or buried alive. Still others were drenched with gasoline and burned alive. Japanese treatment of Chinese civilians went beyond appalling: Those who were not killed outright were tortured and mutilated. No one was safe - groups of Chinese civilians were herded into buildings, which were set afire. The Japanese took great pleasure in watching them jump from burning rooftops. A well-publicized contest occurred between two Japanese officers in their "race to behead a hundred civilians," including praise and admiration.
All women, aged from over 70 to younger than 8, were gang-raped, beaten, tortured and mutilated - while their husbands and family members were forced to watch. Fetuses were cut from wombs, and the streets of Nanking were said to have literally run red with blood.
The animalistic attack and destruction of Nanking went unabated for six weeks - more than 300,000 people were murdered, and more than 20,000 women brutally raped. This incident was well documented by the Japanese, and here in the United States, many people did not believe it - it was way too far-fetched to have actually occurred.
The Rape of Nanking remains the single most atrocious act of World War II. My younger sister Sarah recently visited the museum in China that is dedicated to this event:
The Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. is a sobering experience. The Nanking museum is similar, and includes artifacts from the incident, including video footage, photographs and newspaper articles. There are even actual letters and patches given to Japanese soldiers from their wives, telling them to "Kill as many of the subhuman Chinese as you can." What is most shocking, however, is that as you are walking throughout the museum, you look down. The floor is made of glass, and beneath your feet are millions of human bones. The Nanking museum is built on an actual mass grave from the incident - this is where it occurred.
Shortly after the Nanking Massacre, the United Stated imposed economic sanctions on Japan. By 1940, it was illegal to sell ANY oil or rubber to Japan, meaning the country either would have to tone down its aggression, or acquire more resources. By July 1940, the Japanese government announced a New Order called the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" - essentially, a United States of Asia, with Japan at the center. Like Germany in Europe, Japan seemed unstoppable - she may have even been spurred on by Germany's successes.
Unbelievably, the "unstoppable" army of Japan would first be defeated on land by the most unlikely of forces, some of whom had never even held a rifle before being shipped to the front lines. Tune in next week, when Japan makes the mistake of knocking on Australia's front door.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a weekly column for Friday editions of the Times. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
