Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City

by Peter Harmsen

A true story of the Sino-Japanese A “valuable account of a little-known event [and] a grim reminder of the darker side of war” (Military History Monthly). The infamous Rape of Nanjing looms like a dark shadow over the history of Asia in the twentieth century, and is among the most widely recognized chapters of World War II in China. By contrast, the story of the month-long campaign before this notorious massacre has never been told in its entirety. Nanjing 1937 by Peter Harmsen fills this gap.   This is the follow-up to Harmsen’s bestselling Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze, and begins where that book left off. In stirring prose, it describes how the Japanese Army, having invaded the mainland and emerging victorious from the Battle of Shanghai, pushed on toward the capital, Nanjing, in a crushing advance that confirmed its reputation for bravery and savagery in equal measure.   While much of the struggle over Shanghai had carried echoes of the grueling war in the trenches two decades earlier, the Nanjing campaign was a fast-paced mobile operation in which armor and air power played major roles. It was blitzkrieg two years before Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Facing the full might of modern, mechanized warfare, China’s resistance was heroic, but ultimately futile.   As in Shanghai, the battle for Nanjing was more than a clash between Chinese and Japanese. Soldiers and citizens of a variety of nations witnessed or took part in the hostilities. German advisors, American journalists, and British diplomats all played important parts in this vast drama. And a new power appeared on the Soviet pilots dispatched by Stalin to challenge Japan’s control of the skies.   This epic tale is told with verve and attention to detail by Harmsen, a veteran East Asia correspondent who consolidates his status as the foremost chronicler of World War II in China with this path-breaking work of narrative history.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Military History, Military Fiction

466 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2015

Reviews

[Manray9 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Harmsen's Nanjing 1937 was a well-told account of the Japanese campaign along the lower Yangtze from their success at Shanghai to the fall of the Chinese republic's capital of Nanjing. The author's research was impressive, containing references in Chinese, English, and German -- although it appears the Japanese sources were only tapped in translation. The book concentrates on military and to a lesser extent political aspects of the operations. A single chapter, Terror, is devoted to the infamous Rape of Nanjing which took place after the fall. Harmsen emphasizes that Japanese brutalities characterized the entire offensive and not just the aftermath of the city's seizure.

As with many such books in recent years, better maps would have aided appreciation of the author's efforts. Harmsen's prose is solid, if unspectacular, and he earned Four Stars from me.

[Matthew Barlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again I am split on how to rate this book. One the one hand it contained a great deal of fascinating information and research, but on the other hand it was poorly written and presented, especially in the first half which dragged on and nearly made me abandon the book completely.

With the atrocities that occured in Europe during WWII it is not surprising that the Japanese invasion of China is often overlooked, but as this book shows it in fact served as a precursor to the European violence and in some aspects surpassed it.

I applaud the author for including so many eye witness accounts from both Chinese and Japanese participants and bystanders, rather than relying solely on the foreign observers accounts. This lends a sense of authenticity to the book.

My major issue is with the writing, especially the first half of the book which deals almost exclusively with the political situation. It is over detailed and monotonous, causing confusion and disinterest for the reader. The back and forth between Chinese and Japanese accounts is also confusing, especially for westerners, who are unfamiliar with the differences between the naming practices of the two cultures.

I also would have liked to seen more than two quick chapters at the end dealing with the aftermath of the battle, as this is where the true humanitarian crisis occured. While I can see the usefulness of this book to some researchers I would generally advise looking elsewhere if you are looking for something capable of holding your attention.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nanjing (Nanking) was the capital of a modernizing China in 1937 when it was attacked and overrun by the Japanese. Harmsen has written a detailed account of the battles that led to the destruction of the city. He has added personal anecdotes which give a somewhat human face to this horrific event in recent history. The looting, rape and murder that was committed by Japanese soldiers are so inhuman that there can be no explanation or understanding of cruelty of this magnitude. An estimated 300,000 Chinese nationals were murdered, although no one can accurately estimate the exact number. Russia was the only country to come to the aid of the Chinese. As with the Holocaust, we should never forget this event; a reminder that we are obliged to intervene when we witness the abuse of power.

[Fred M · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1937, after Japan captured Shanghai, China, Japan decided to continue on to China’s capital, Nanjing, in hopes of crushing the remaining Chinese forces (which were in retreat following their loss of Shanghai). The battle was, for the most part, China’s superior manpower and knowledge of their own territory vs Japan’s superior mobility, artillery and airpower. Given that the Chinese forces were still somewhat off balance due to their recent defeat in Shanghai, the Japanese forces’ advantages proved to be decisive.

Much of the book is recollections from many of the fighters (both Chinese and Japanese) which the author was able to piece together into a basic chronology of the different phases of the battle as the Japanese advanced and Chinese retreated toward Nanjing.

There is also some coverage of the geo-political maneuvering as well. For example, while other countries condemned Japan (but did nothing to aid China), Russia provided aid, even including planes & pilots (because Russia figured a stronger China meant a weaker Japan on their eastern border).

Note: I have not read “Shanghai 1937”. But since the events of that book occurred immediately before the events in this book (“Nanjing 1937”), I surely would have liked this book more if I had.

[Dave Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent summary of the Battle and the subsequent Rape of Nanjing (Nanking)

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, Peter Harmsen's work is impeccably sourced. Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City uses probably the widest array of sources on this conflict or on any similar conflict I have seen in any similar work recently: at a minimum, many memoirs of participants in the battle on all levels, the relevant politicians on all sides, and civilians who lived through it, as well as newspaper accounts the region and abroad and some academic sources. Japanese, Chinese and various European-language sources are all referenced. The amount of effort that went into unearthing new primary source material is obvious, and very welcome. It adds a human face to what would otherwise be a "clash of titans" or God's eye view of history.

Secondly, the narrative of battle is very clear, and typically pans between two levels: a strategic level, illuminated by the discussion amongst politicians and generals during the lead up to the decision to invade, and later the actual conduct of the invasion, and second, the ground or tactical level, which follows the specific experiences of soldiers, civilians and other people in Nanjing and the surrounding area as the story progresses. This gives you a much clearer idea of what people were actually feeling at the time than you might usually get from an historical overview.

Thirdly, I think the book illustrates a few things that are very interesting about the Battle for Nanjing and the Sino-Japanese conflict more generally:

First, what stands out to me is just how unprepared China was for the invasion, on almost every level - military, economic and political. The numerous examples of poor leadership and preparation, from a general staff level on down to individual units, and the resulting loss of Chinese life and property, are heartbreaking.

Second, it behooves one to be reminded of just how vast China is, and how huge of an undertaking it was for the Japanese Army and even more so the individual soldiers to march into the heart of this vast continent and attempt to conquer an ancient city like Nanjing.

Third, it is perhaps surprising today how international of an event the invasion was at the time. The number of foreigners in China, and the extent of international involvement in the war seems no different from what you have seen in Syria over the last several years.

Fourth, it is odd to think how close the invasion came all along to being averted, given one or two changes in position in the Japanese political situation. A lack of a firm hold on the Japanese military's ambitions on the part of that country's politicians ended up bringing disaster for everyone involved, all the more terrible for how avoidable it was.

I found the book a well-written and thought-provoking historical review of that phase of the war.

The above points aside, I would highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the Sino-Japanese war, or WWII and military history more generally. Because it focuses heavily on military movements and the battle itself, it might not be best for a casual reader, but it repays the interested student's attention and focus many times over.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review, but the review has been composed by me alone.

[Mike Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent military history writing told in a smooth, unbiased approach. Very little focus on the actual terror at the end, more on the journey to the end, as it should be. No other book covers this topic to this extent, and this does it well.

[WaldenOgre · Rating 4 out of 5]

视角和观点都比较客观中立。既提到了极个别人性尚存甚至友善得体的日本士兵，也描述了部分日军高层试图约束暴行的真诚却孱弱的尝试。至于中国最大的弱点，也许正是“其指挥官所误认为的自己的最大优势：愿意去承担难以想象的损失。”

[Greg Koontz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book!!
Peter Harmsen puts you into the battle! You are looking from the characters eyes into the scenes as they see it. You feel the timetable move forward on the countdown they have to work with. Both sides are portrayed - the good and the bad. You feel the terror the Chinese felt and you feel the jubilation of victory of the Japanese soldier. You also look into the souls of the participants.
Will definitely read more of this author.

[Isham Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent war history.

[T.H Rumelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical account of the Battle of Nanjing, the author even uses a photo from Wikipedia commons.

[Bin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-researched book about the capture of Nanjing (Nanking), the capital of China, in the second world war. Peter Harmsen tells the story vividly based on a large amount of information extracted from memoirs, media reports, academic studies and archival materials. The book successfully provide a narrative from the perspectives of different people, including soldiers and military officers (including many senior officers) from both sides, politicians, foreigners in Nanjing and Nanjing residents. There are many books about Nanjing massacre, but few about what happened BEFORE the capture of Nanjing in the Nanjing campaign, why Nanjing was doomed to be taken by Japanese army, and the combat experiences of soldiers and junior officers from both sides at the same time. Nanjing 1937 fills this gap. The book not only includes the rape of Nanjing, but also leads the readers through the Japanese army's march from Shanghai to Nanjing, the bloodiness of war, the bravery displayed by Chinese soldiers, and the brutality inflicted on civilians by the Japanese army, in Nanjing city and outside. I am a reader from China. Here in China, there are some misconceptions about the defense battle of Nanjing in the general public, me included, especially about the devotion of the Nationalist army (the KMT army) soldiers to the defense of Nanjing. After reading this book, I learned much more about this darkest time in the history of Nanjing. If you are interested in the Nanjing campaign, don't miss this book.

[Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Nanjing 1937” written by Peter Harmsen is a well-researched book that gives more than a good overview of the fall of China capital during the Second World War.

The author manages to tell his story in an interesting way using the wealth of information gathered from all kind of sources – archives, memoirs, media and academic papers. Also, Harmsen succeeds in presentation of his story from the different angles, both soldiers and civilians – politicians, residents and foreigners.

Overall, “Nanjing 1937” is very good book for history researchers giving solid insight into the less known aspects of Second World War.

I was given a copy of this book by the author for the purpose of unbiased review, while all the presented information is based on my impressions.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a good read, with perspectives from both sides, and providing interesting stories but it never quite provides the big picture or answers the big questions. Such as how did the Japanese army keep its troops supplied with fuel and ammunition and keep its artillery moving? Annoyingly, Harmsen does not tell what happened to the people we follow through the book (except for one) or even what happens in China after the two month immediately after Nanjing fell.

[Tina]

Me and my son read the book together and he enjoyed learning things he didn't know about. Thank you for letting your book be on the giveaways list

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from Goodreads hoping I would review it.

[Janice Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I enjoyed this history of the battle for Nanjing. The book is very readable, well written. I recommend it to anyone interested in world history.