Witnessing World War II -- From Shanghai to the Pacific Theater

Author: Cheng Hong, Lu Chengzhong, Zhang Jishun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
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 into the Shanghai Concession, then details the standoff with Japanese occupation soldiers on 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 decisive battle between the U.S. and Japan on Iwo Jima, presenting direct visual evidence of the Japanese army's relentless bombing along the banks of the Pujiang River, at transportation hubs, with streets littered with the bodies of victims, and the actual battlefield resistance of the Chinese army. 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 touching story of Vanceles' own joys and sorrows, 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.