Witnessing World War II: From Shanghai to the Pacific Theater

Author: Cheng Hong, Lu Chengzhong, Zhang Jishun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: This book revolves around the personal experiences of U.S. Marine Corps officer Isaac Vanceles during World War II in China and the Pacific theater, featuring hundreds of historical photographs of Shanghai and World War II that Vanceles took and collected at the time. The book begins with Vanceles accompanying the U.S. Marine Corps into the Shanghai Concession, then describes the standoff with Japanese occupation soldiers at the edge of the concession, revealing the atrocities of Japanese fascism in China and the resilient resistance of Chinese civilians and soldiers. It continues through the later stages of the Pacific War to the decisive battle between the U.S. and Japan on Iwo Jima, presenting direct visual evidence of the Japanese army's indiscriminate bombing along the banks of the Huangpu River, at transportation hubs, with countless victims' bodies scattered across the landscape, and the actual scenes of Chinese military resistance on the battlefield. Among these photographs, images of the Four-Road Resistance War and the after the bombing of the Shanghai Grand World are particularly precious. The book also narrates a personal story of joy and sorrow from Vanceles himself—a Hollywood-like real-life tale that transitions from "Madame Butterfly" to "A Second Handshake," adding a deeper layer of reflection on life as people learn about the war.