Asia Pacific 1938: Fall of Wuhan

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Political map of East Asia and the Western Pacific on 27 Oct 1938 (Second Sino-Japanese War: Fall of Wuhan), showing the following events: Japanese occupy Amoy (Xiamen), China; Japanese take Xuzhou, China, connecting their northern and central armies; Nationalist Chinese burst Yellow River dykes at Huayuankou in attempt to halt Japanese advance; Battle of Wuhan; Battle of Lake Khasan; Occupation of the Sudetenland; Canton Operation.

Although the defeat at Tai'erzhuang was a setback, the Japanese were soon on the offensive again. By October, they had seized most of the coastline, including Canton, and marched inland to capture the new Nationalist headquarters at Wuhan. Less auspiciously for Japan, tensions with the Soviet Union had led to a border clash at Lake Khasan in July.

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Notes

Treaty Ports

Treaty ports were towns opened to foreign trade by unequal treaties in China. Foreigners operating within treaty ports enjoyed extraterritoriality, being subject to their home country's laws. Unlike concessions such as Hong Kong, these territories were not directly leased by the foreign powers and did not have sizable foreign garrisons.

Treaty ports are not shown in the maps after the 1911 Chinese Revolution in order to give a clearer picture of the chaos in China itself and as by that point their numbers had stabilized. After the revolution, some of the smaller ports were phased out while the others became less important as the situation in China meant that only the concessions could provide foreigners with security. Most, however, still continued on into the 1940s when the Japanese entry into World War II and foreign agreements with China brought them to an end.

See this map for treaty ports in 1907, when the system was at its peak.

Yangtze River

By the terms of the Treaty of Tientsin (1858), foreign vessels including warships had the right to free navigation on the Yangtze River. In practical terms, this right extended only as far as Yichang until 1900, when advances in steam navigation allowed access as far inland as Chongqing.

Main Events

12 May 1938 Japanese occupy Amoy (Xiamen), China ▲

Japanese occupy Amoy (Xiamen), China in wikipedia

20 May 1938 Japanese take Xuzhou, China, connecting their northern and central armies ▲

Japanese take Xuzhou, China, connecting their northern and central armies in wikipedia

5–7 Jun 1938 Nationalist Chinese burst Yellow River dykes at Huayuankou in attempt to halt Japanese advance ▲

Nationalist Chinese burst Yellow River dykes at Huayuankou in attempt to halt Japanese advance in wikipedia

11 Jun–27 Oct 1938 Battle of Wuhan ▲

Japanese capture Wuhan, headquarters of Nationalist Chinese government in wikipedia

29 Jul–11 Aug 1938 Battle of Lake Khasan ▲

Border clash between Japanese troops in Manchukuo and Soviet Union in wikipedia

1–10 Oct 1938 Occupation of the Sudetenland ▲

On 30 September 1938 Britain and France signed the Munich Agreement, stipulating that Czechoslovakia must cede the Sudetenland to Germany. Although not consulted in the agreement, the Czechoslovak government reluctantly accepted its terms. The next day German troops began moving into the Sudetenland, completely occupying it by 10 October. in wikipedia

21 Oct 1938 Canton Operation ▲

Japanese occupy Canton, China in wikipedia

1930s 1938 China Chinese Civil War Chinese history Japan Japanese history Kuomintang maps October October 27 Russia Second Sino-Japanese War Wuhan

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