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Japan’s aggression aroused strong patriotic anti-Japanese resentment throughout China. This was especially the case in the cities where the population was more politicized. This was especially he case in the large metropolitan areas of Shanghai and Canton. Shanghai was a special case because of the large number of Japanese residents. Most of the Japanese lived in the Hongkew and Yangtzepoo sections of Shanghai--Little Tokyo. It was in this area that fighing began between Chinese forces and Japanese sailors (January 28). The Japanese moved into the Chinese area of Chapei. Ths was a huge mistake. By initiating a campaign in an urban area involving street to street fighting, the Japanese gave up the many advantages they had over the lightly armed Chinese forces. The result was World War I like trench warfare. There were heavy Japanese losses and little movement forward. 【Smith-Hutton】 Here werealso heavy Chinese civilian casualties. Chinese civilians also suffered heavily from Japanese aerial bombardment. The city had no air defense or bomb shelters. There was no effort to hit military targets because they were so few. The Japanese simply bombed Chinese areas oF the city. Many Chinese were injured and killed. A single bomb killed 123 people and wounded some thousand. This was the first of many Japanese terror bombings of civilian populations. The Japanese when they attacked Shanghai, avoided hitting the International Settlement (SIS). Chinese fleeing the fighting attempted to get into the International sector for safety because the Japanese bombing was so indiscriminate. The British had to close off the SIS because supplies did not exist to provide for the refugees.
Smith-Hutton, H.H. "Lessons learned at Shanghai in 1932," U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings (August 1938), Vol. 64, No. 8/426.
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