Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Nanking

Battle of Nanking was a battle fought in 1937 at Nan-ching, in what is now China. It was part of Second Sino-Japanese War, which ran from 1937 to 1945. The recorded result: Japanese victory.

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Fought1937
WhereNan-ching, China32.014N, 118.776E
OutcomeJapanese victory
BelligerentsRepublic of China (1912–1949); Soviet UnionagainstEmpire of Japan
Part ofSecond Sino-Japanese War1937 to 1945

Where it sits in Second Sino-Japanese War

Japanese invasion of Manchuria, 1931Jiangqiao campaign, 1931Jinzhou Operation, 1931Defense of Harbin, 1932Battle of Wenzaobang, 1932Suiyuan Campaign, 1936Battle of Nanking, 1937Bombing of Songjiang, 1937Siege of Shanghai, 1937Battle of Luodian, 1937Bombing of Nanjing, 1937Marco Polo Bridge incident, 1937Battle of Beiping–Tianjin, 1937Operation Chahar, 1937Battle of Zhangjiakou, 1937Battle of Nankou, 1937Battle of Shanghai, 1937Bloody Saturday (Shanghai), 1937Battle of Wusong, 1937Battle of Taiyuan, 1937Battle of Datong, 1937Battle of Jining, 1937Battle of Xinkou, 1937Battle of Pingxingguan, 1937Defense of Sihang Warehouse, 1937Battle of Jinshanwei, 1937USS Panay incident, 1937Amoy Operation, 1938Bombing of Chengdu, 1938Defense of Linyi, 1938Siege of Xuzhou, 1938Battle of Northern and Eastern Henan, 1938Bombing of Chongqing, 1938Defense of Teng County, 1938Battle of Taierzhuang, 1938Battle of Xuzhou, 1938Canton Operation, 1938Battle of Wuhan, 1938Battle of Changsha, 1939Swatow Operation, 1939Hainan Island Operation, 1939Battle of Nanchang, 1939Battle of Suixian–Zaoyang, 1939Battle of South Guangxi, 1939Battle of Baotou, 1939Battle of Kunlun Pass, 1939Battle of West Suiyuan, 19401939–1940 Winter Offensive, 1940Battle of Wuyuan, 1940Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang, 1940Hundred Regiments Offensive, 1940Battle of South Henan, 1941Battle of Shanggao, 1941Battle of South Shanxi, 1941Battle of Changsha, 1941proposed Japanese invasion of Sichuan, 1942Battle of Changsha, 1942Battle of Tachiao, 1942Battle of Oktwin, 1942Battle of Toungoo, 1942Battle of Yenangyaung, 1942Battle of Lashio, 1942Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road, 1942Battle of West Hubei, 1943Battle of Northern Burma and Western Yunnan, 1943Battle of Changde, 1943Battle of Longling, 1944Battle of Dushan, 1944Battle of Central Henan, 1944Operation Ichi-Go, 1944Battle of Changsha, 1944Defense of Hengyang, 1944Battle of Guilin–Liuzhou, 1944Second Guangxi campaign, 1945Battle of West Hunan, 194519311945Battle of Nanking, 1937
77 placed engagements of Second Sino-Japanese War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1937 (year precision)
to 13 December 1937
PlaceNan-ching, China
32.014N, 118.776E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Territorial changeFall of Nanjing; China moves its capital to Hankou
StrengthCampaign total: ~100,000; Battle of Nanjing: 73,790 to 81,500; At least 116,919Campaign total: 200,000; Battle of Nanjing: 70,000
Casualties and lossesBattle for Nanjing: At least 47,382 killed in action or trapped in Nanjing after its fall, 25,546 confirmed broke out, 44,730 unknown; 13,000 to 20,000 killed in action; 30,000+ POWs executed after capture; Postwar estimates: 5 November to 2 December 1937: ~100,000 casualties; Japanese claim: Along the Lake Tai front (early to late November) : 53,000 killed; In Nanjing : 84,000 killed and 10,500 capturedBattle for Nanjing: 1,558 killed; 4,619 wounded; Campaign total: Japanese archives: 26,000 killed and wounded; 100,000–300,000 POWs and civilians killed in the subsequent massacre
Commanders
  • Tang Shengzhi
  • Iwane Matsui
  • Prince Yasuhiko Asaka
  • Heisuke Yanagawa
Battle of NankingBattle of NankingThird Battle of NankingBattle of CaishiUSS Panay incidentBattle of ChinkiangBattle of RuxuBattle of CaishiBattle of ChinkiangBattle of RuxuHuainanHefeiWuxiSuzhouChangzhouHuzhouBengbuXuanzhou100 km32.014N, 118.776E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
南京戦闘経過要図 1937年12月上旬
南京戦闘経過要図 1937年12月上旬. みや東亞, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Nanking
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Nanking today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-10-09. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 12 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 86 m, 86 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 70% built-up, 22% tree cover, 4% water.

built-up: 70%tree cover: 22%water: 4%cropland: 2%built-up 70%tree cover 22%water 4%cropland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km3 to 19 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 47 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1937

Battle of Nanking is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 448 in present-day China.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q701180, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Nanking, revision 1383134012, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.