A Helmet for the Chinese (I)

(The German ‘Fritz’ helmet was a characteristic part of the Chinese uniform in World War Two, especially in the early years of the conflict with Japan. This is the first … Continue Reading →

China Favorite Machine Gun (II)

The Czech-designed ZB-26 was China’s favorite light machine gun during the war with Japan in the 1930s and 1940s. Below is the second of two articles on this legenday weapon, … Continue Reading →

China’s Favorite Machine Gun (I)

The Czech-designed ZB-26 was China’s favorite light machine gun during the war with Japan in the 1930s and 1940s. Below is the first of two articles on this legenday weapon, … Continue Reading →

Taierzhuang!

Below are photos and excerpts from an article about the 1938 battle of Taierzhuang, based on a visit to the Chinese city. Written by G. Joekull Gislason, a Sinophile from … Continue Reading →

Political Prisoners in Shanghai in 1934

What kind of political prisoners were incarcerated in Shanghai in the 1930s? What nationalities were they? Why were they jailed? These are questions that Australian historian Anne Atkinson has started … Continue Reading →

‘Moving and Fluent Narrative’: Chinese WW2 Periodical Reviews ‘Shanghai 1937’

Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze by Peter Harmsen is “a moving and fluent narrative which describes a desperate and bitter battle in vivid prose.” That’s according to the influential … Continue Reading →

Time Travel in Cyberspace

This article about a new project to chronicle World War Two in Asia in real time was first published on the website of the Danish Broadcasting Corp. It was written … Continue Reading →

A Scrap Of Silk Tells An Airman’s Story

Read how the discovery in a military file of a scrap of silk, a “blood chit” of the kind that saved  numerous lives in the China theatre, led to the … Continue Reading →

Iacta Alea Est!

Wargaming is a method for historians, professionals and hobbyists alike, to get inside the minds of the actors of past conflicts. The games, or simulations, can take place at the … Continue Reading →

A Social and Visual History of the Dadao: China’s ‘Military Big-Saber’ (II)

Author and scholar Ben Judkins describes the Dadao, or ‘big saber’, a weapon that saw use even during the war with Japan in the 1930s and 1940s. This is the first … Continue Reading →