Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1454

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

.2 linear feet

Language:

Japanese

Preferred Citation:

Japanese machine gunner's photograph album, circa 1937, Ms. Coll. 1454, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

circa 1937

Form:

Photographs and Photograph albums

Abstract:

In 1937 Japan invaded the Republic of China, setting in motion the Second Sino-Japanese War, the largest Asian war in the 20th century and the beginning of the larger Pacific War (the Asian theater of World War II). This album contains photographs taken by a heavy machine gunner in the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second Sino-Japanese war. The photographs include posed group shots from army training, less formal group shots taken in the field, and is especially notable for its action shots from the battlefield, as well as candid photographs of military travel and camp life.

In 1937 Japan invaded the Republic of China, setting in motion the Second Sino-Japanese War, the largest Asian war in the 20th century. The war was the result of imperialist expansion into China by the Japanese Empire in search of raw materials, which had resulted in the 1931 invasion of Manchuria and the establishment of the puppet state of Manchuko. During the Second Sino-Japenese War, the Japanese army was ultimately successful in controlling most of China's large urban centers; however, it was unable to control China's rural areas. The United States entered the war in 1941, inaugurating the greater Pacific War (the Pacific Theater of World War II). Military and economic support from the Western Allies, combined with successful advances by the Chinese Revolutionary Army, led to Japan's formal surrender in 1945.

This album contains photographs taken by a heavy machine gunner in the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second Sino-Japanese war. The photographs include posed group shots from army training, less formal group shots taken in the field, and is especially notable for its action shots from the battlefield, as well as candid photographs of military travel and camp life. The landscape suggests deployment in Northeastern China. There is little specific biographical information for the soldier who assembled the photographs, and any dating is approximate. Some photographs contain captions, but the handwriting is difficult to decipher.