Eight Hundred Heroes
China's Lost Battalion and the Fall of Shanghai
-
- 15,99 €
-
- 15,99 €
Publisher Description
From acclaimed historian Stephen Robinson comes an account of a battle which has taken on mythic dimensions in Chinese and international military history. From 26th October to 1st November 1937, the ‘800 Heroes’ defended Sihang Warehouse from wave after wave of Japanese assaults. This is the exciting story of the Battle of Sihang Warehouse as never told before, bringing together Chinese and western accounts for the first time to create a thorough and compelling depiction of the legendary battle.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Military historian Robinson (False Flags) delivers a solid account of the famous 1937 standoff between Chinese troops and Japanese forces at Sihang Warehouse during the Sino-Japanese War. Located across Suzhou Creek from Shanghai's International Settlement, where British and American expats witnessed the battle from rooftops, the warehouse's defense served the "symbolic purpose" of "winning international support for China." To confuse the enemy, battalion commander Xie Jinyuan publicly announced that he had 800 soldiers under his command (the real number was closer to 420). Robinson dramatically recounts well-known episodes from the siege, including the tale of 22-year-old Girl Guide Yang Huimin, who crawled across the battlefield to deliver a Republic of China flag to the defenders. Raised on the third day of battle, the flag reportedly shocked the Japanese army and led to shouts of joy from the international settlement. Robinson also recounts how those Chinese soldiers who survived the battle endured hardship and torture as POWs, and analyzes cultural representations of the defense of Sihang Warehouse in China and Taiwan. Well paced and comprehensive, this is a valuable introduction to a turning point in Chinese military history.
