History is pretty much set in stone (although it’s open to constant re-interpretation), but for those experiencing past events first-hand the future was still undetermined, and things could have turned out in an endless variety of different ways. It was malleable and dependent on human action. Luckily for those interested in history, it’s possible to…
Since World War II ended in 1945, historians and laypeople alike have strived to make sense of the event, place it into a larger context and grasp its lasting significance. They have done so not just through historical accounts, but also in various works of fiction. Many have resorted to wargames, which have the advantage of…
What defeated Japan in World War II? What prevented a full-scale and in all likelihood incredibly bloody invasion of the Japanese home islands, or, in former President Herber Hoover’s memorable phrase “an Okinawa from one end of Japan to the other”? The answer that most people will probably come up with, without much hesitation, is:…
When emaciated female prisoners from the German concentration camp Ravensbrueck arrived in the Swedish harbor of Malmoe on April 28, 1945, just days before the German surrender, two of the inmates stood out among the others. They were Chinese. One of them was Nadine Hwang, a 43-year-old who had once been a great beauty, but…
One of the most conspicuous features of the elite units of the Chinese army that went to war with Japan in 1937 was their widespread use of German equipment, and, most conspicuous of all, of the trademark German helmet. In the early and mid-30s, Germany was the main provider of military assistance to Chiang Kai-shek’s…
History can be studied in many ways. One of the most direct routes to a visceral feel for what happened to earlier generations is to join the growing ranks of re-enactors, who are also gradually sharpening their focus on the Second Sino-Japanese War. In this article first carried by bilingual newspaper Sampan, the Chinese Re-enactor Association of New…
