RAPE OF NANKING December 9, 1937 By Ebony & Hannah

Demand for Surrender December 9, 1937 Japanese demand citizens of Nanking surrender. No response came from Nanking by December 10. The Japanese launched an attack from all sides after waiting one hour past the deadline.

Assault and Capture After 2 days, the Chinese army retreated The next day. December 13 th, Nanking fell to the Japanese by nightfall. Japanese troops pursued the retreating Chinese army units.

The Massacre For six weeks after the fall of Nanking the Japanese continue to engage in rape, murder, theft, arson, and other war crimes. An estimated 20,00 woman were raped, including infants and elderly. After they have raped and killed all women and children they would dig a ditch and put all of their bodies in the ditch, and watch and take pictures. Thousands were executed in an excavation known as the “Ten- Thousand-Corpse-Ditch” Killing citizens was a sport to the Japanese soldiers, and they would make games out of it.

End of the massacre Late January, 1938 Japanese forced all refugees in the Safety Zone to return home. Order was gradually restored in Nanking and atrocities by Japanese troops lessened. The last refugee camps were closed in May, 1938