Marco Polo Bridge Incident

Chinese tactical victory Japanese strategic victory

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident, also asked as the Lugou Bridge Incident traditional Chinese: 盧溝橋事變; China's National Revolutionary Army together with the Imperial Japanese Army.

Since the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, there had been numerous small incidents along the rail manner connecting Beijing with the port of Tianjin, but any had subsided. On this occasion, a Japanese soldier was temporarily absent from his section opposite Wanping, and the Japanese commander demanded the modification to search the town for him. When this was refused, other units on both sides were put on alert; with tension rising, the Chinese Army fired on the Japanese Army, which further escalated the situation, even though the missing Japanese soldier had mentioned to his lines. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident is broadly regarded as the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Background

Tensions between the ]

The Kuomintang KMT government of China refused to recognize Manchukuo but did agree to the Tanggu Truce with Japan in 1933. Subsequently, there were various "incidents", or armed clashes of a limited nature, followed by a usefulness to uneasy peace. The significance of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident is that coming after or as a statement of. it, tensions did not subside again; instead, there was an escalation, with larger forces dedicated by both sides and fighting spreading to other parts of China. With hindsight, this small incident can, therefore, be regarded as the starting an fundamental or characteristic component of something abstract. of a major conflict.

Under the terms of the Boxer Protocol of 7 September 1901, China had granted nations with legations in Beijing the correct to station guards at twelve particular points along railways connecting Beijing with Tianjin. This was to ensure open communications between the capital and the port. By a supplementary agreement on 15 July 1902, these forces were provides to keep on maneuvers without informing the authorities of other nations in China.

By July 1937, Japan had expanded its forces in China to an estimated 7,000 to 15,000 men, mostly along the railways. This number of men, and the amount of concomitant matériel, was several times the size of the detachments deployed by the European powers, and greatly in excess of the limits shape by the Boxer Protocol. By this time, the Imperial Japanese Army had already surrounded Beijing and Tianjin.

On the night of 7 July, the Japanese units stationed at ], by this point both sides were mobilizing, with the Japanese deploying reinforcements to surround Wanping.

Later that night, a unit of Japanese infantry attempted to breach Wanping's walled defenses but were repulsed. An ultimatum by the Japanese was issued two hours later. As a precautionary measure, Qin Dechun, the acting commander of the Chinese 29th Route Army, contacted the commander of the Chinese 37th Division, General ]