Internationale Orden & militärhistorische Sammlungsstücke - A83

| 41 besucht hatte, umdie entstandenen Schäden zu bewerten und künftige Risken zu prognostizie- ren. Trotz einer genauen Einschätzung der japanischen Bedrohung in Shanghai sind die Schlussfolgerungen bemerkenswert optimis- tisch: „Trotz alledem ist es in Shanghai immer noch möglich, hinsichtlich der Zukunft opti- mistisch zu bleiben ... Shanghai hat in der Ver- gangenheit solche Probleme bereits erlebt und wird sich wieder erfolgreich erholen. Tatsäch- lich war und bleibt Shanghai für immer der wichtigste Hafen Chinas.” (S. 73). The Sino-Japanese Hostilities, Shanghai 1937: a report on war losses by ELLIS & BUCKLE Asse- sors & Surveyors 淞沪会战战争损失评估报告 Unpublished typescript, illustrated with a photograph frontispiece (by Ah Fong 上海兆 芳照相馆 ) and 58 original black-and-white 1031 photographs including a large folding pano­ rama of Shanghai measuring 148 x 19cm. Five folding maps in back pocket (incl. one large map measuring 115 x 84 cm). Small folio cloth folder. Some minor marginal wear, but overall in very good condition. The report with 75 pages and attachments I to VIII. Following the invasion of North China after the Marco-Polo Bridge incident （七七事变） , Japanese air-force, navy and ground troops attacked Shanghai on 13 August 1937 (Battle of Shanghai 淞沪会战 ). After three months of heavy resistance, the Chinese army was forced to withdraw to Nanjing. Both the West and the Japanese were interested in playing the events down, camouflaging war actions as ‘inci- dents’, ‘hostilities’ and ‘conflagrations’. How- ever, the Battle of Shanghai involved about a million troops, and casualties on both sides exceeded 350,000. Japanese bombardment sought to avoid international settlements and keep foreign commercial interests unharmed. This report was compiled after Mr. V. R. Krohn visited Shanghai on behalf of the insur- ance company in December 1937 to assess the damage and predict future risks. In spite of an accurate assessment of the Japanese threat his conclusions are remarkably upbeat: “Despite all this, it is still possible to find in Shanghai many old China hands who remain optimistic as to the future ... Shanghai has recovered from such troubles in the past, and once more be- came prosperous, and it will do so again in the future. In fact, Shanghai has been and always will be the premier port of China.” (p. 73). 275482 II - € 17.000