1937-07-07 - 1937-07-08

Marco Polo Bridge Incident

Lugou Bridge near BeipingBeiping · The clash near Lugou Bridge became the immediate trigger for countrywide war between China and Japan.

Other events in this phase

Second Sino Japanese War81
  1. Suiyuan campaign
  2. Xi’an Incident
  3. Kominka policy intensified in Taiwan
  4. Marco Polo Bridge IncidentCurrent record
  5. Battle of Shanghai
  6. Mongolian Great Purge
  7. Second United Front recognized
See all 81

Context

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident must be treated as the opening point of the countrywide war. Tensions accumulated through Manchukuo and North China pressure expanded through a night clash outside Beiping.

Sources

The Britannica incident entry is paired with a July 1937 Japanese garrison disposition map from Commons.

Media

Japanese China Garrison Army disposition map, July 1937Visual recordJapanese China Garrison Army disposition map, July 1937A disposition map for Japanese garrison forces in North China just before the incident.

Source Trail

ReferenceEncyclopaedia Britannica · Marco Polo Bridge IncidentOpen sourceMedia RecordWikimedia Commons · Japanese China Garrison Army map, July 1937Open source