July 7, 1937 · North China Theater
July 7, 1937
On the night of July 7, 1937, Japanese troops on maneuvers near the Marco Polo Bridge outside Peking claimed a soldier was missing and demanded entry to the nearby Chinese-held town of Wanping. The Chinese refused. After shots were exchanged in the darkness — their origin still disputed — Japanese forces attacked. The skirmish lasted days, but it was the trigger for an eight-year war that would kill 20 million people.
Commanders