Shanghai Diary (Part 2)

    In October 1937, the young American sailor Earl Jackson Clanton was in Shanghai on board the USS Augusta, which was keeping a vigil in the port while Chinese … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, Jan 14 – 20, 1943

Jan 14, 1943: US carrier Independence is commissioned Jan 15, 1943: The Pentagon opens in Washington Jan 16, 1943: Iraq declares war on Japan Jan 17, 1943: American and Australian … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, Jan 7 – 13, 1943

Jan 7, 1943: A total of 50,000 American land, navy and air troops are now present on Guadalcanal Jan 8, 1943: In letter to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Chinese … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, Dec 31, 1942 – Jan 6, 1943

Dec 31, 1942: At Imperial Conference held in Tokyo, Japanese commanders decide on the withdrawal from Guadalcanal Jan 1, 1943: Commissioning of aircraft carrier USS Essex, the lead ship of … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, Dec 24 – 30, 1942

Dec 24, 1942: In New Guinea’s jungle and elsewhere around the world, soldiers mark Christmas Dec 25, 1942: “White Christmas”, sung by Bing Crosby for the movie Holiday Inn, is … Continue Reading →

Christmas and Culture: China in 1942

Christmas eighty years ago was a time when the cultural differences between China and its wartime western allies were highlighted to an even greater extent than during their day-to-day cooperation. … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, Dec 17 – 23, 1942

Dec 17, 1942: US Army’s 132nd Regiment is ordered to take Mount Austen, Guadalcanal Dec 18, 1942: In New Guinea, Australian forces commence concerted attack on Japanese stronghold at Sanananda … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, Dec 10 – 16, 1942

Dec 10, 1942: At Gona, New Guinea, Australian troops keep up pressure on Japanese forces, already decimated by incessant air raids Dec 11, 1942: US forces begin arriving in Iraq … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, Dec 3 – 9, 1942

Dec 3, 1942: Australian government says women aged 18 to 30 may be called up for war service Dec 4, 1942: Marine Raiders under command of Evans Carlson complete month-long … Continue Reading →

Christmas in China, 1942

Eighty years ago, thousands of US servicemen had ended up in the interior of China as a result of the Sino-American alliance formed to defeat Japan, and by December 1942, … Continue Reading →