The Snapshots in Time Collection

Helmeted Troops Advancing Through a Rubble-Filled Alley, Shanghai Conflict Era, c. 1932-1937

Helmeted Troops Advancing Through a Rubble-Filled Alley, Shanghai Conflict Era, c. 1932-1937

Soldiers advance cautiously through a debris-choked alley, rifles fixed with bayonets, during urban fighting in a Chinese treaty port. Scenes such as this were common during the Shanghai Incident of 1932 and the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, when combat spilled into the city's dense residential lanes, forcing troops to fight building-by-building amid civilian infrastructure. Project: 218606