Witnessing World War II: From Shanghai to the Pacific Theater

Author: Cheng Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book revolves around the personal experiences of U.S. Marine Corps officer Isaiah Vanceles during World War II in China and the Pacific theater. It includes hundreds of historical photographs of Shanghai and World War II that Vanceles took and collected during that time. The book begins with Vanceles accompanying the U.S. Marine Corps to the Shanghai Concession, then moves on to 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 culminates in the later stages of the Pacific War with the U.S. and Japan's decisive battle on Iwo Jima, presenting a direct visual account of the Japanese army's indiscriminate bombing along the Pearl River coast and transportation hubs, the widespread death and devastation among the victims, and the realities of Chinese military resistance on the battlefield. Among these photographs, images of the Four Provinces War of Resistance and the after the bombing of Shanghai's Grand World are particularly precious. The book also narrates a touching story of Vanceles' own joys and sorrows, a real-life tale reminiscent of a Hollywood film, from "Madame Butterfly" to "A Second Hand Wedding," adding a deeper layer of reflection on life as people learn about war.