When Japanese captured NanJing, most of the residents in the city moved into the Safty Zones. The remaining people were the employees of companies and stores and some residents, who had to guard their properties. There were not many people in the streets. However, wounded soldiers, remnants of destroyed armies from the fronts, refugees from nearby places, old and young, flooded into NanJing from ZhongShan gate and ZhongHua gate. After they arrived in NanJing, the attack from Japanese became more intense, and they became more nervous and wanted to hide in the Safety Zones, but they were refused. At last, they hoped to break out and cross the Yangtze river. Part of the crowd moved onto the north ZhongShan avenue that leads to the bank of the river, and planed to break through YiJiang gate and cross the river from the ZhongShan dock at XiaGuan; another crowd moved onto Central avenue, planed to break through Peace gate and cross the river at YanZiJi.
Japanese broke into ZhongShan gate.
When the refugees moved to North ZhongShan avenue and Central avenue, a part of the KMT army was waiting on the bank of the river to escape, in fear that the refugees would obstruct their crossing, they closed the YiJiang gate and Peace gate.
For the people in the two major streets, behind them, there were the Japanese gun fires, before them, there was the closed gate. Most of them were wounded soldiers, elderly, children and women, faced such hopeless situation, they either tried to hide in the city or stuck at the same place, completely lost the control of their own fate.
See the map of NanJing
In the morning of December 13th, Japanese intruders entered the city from
YuHua gate, GuangHua gate and ZhongHua gate. The first enteried was the
army. After these savage soldiers entered,
some of them occupied government centers, bank and warehouses, the others
started looking for people to kill. The refugees in the streets, especially
those on the North ZhongShan avenue, Central
avenue and nearby streets were taken to be their targets. They slaughtered
the refugees with machines guns, rifles and hand guns. The NanJing massacre
began.
Large numbers of elderly, women and children and wounded soldiers fell with
the gun shots, most of them died immediately, some of them still crying.
Forthwith, blood and flesh scattered all over the streets, bodies laid
everywhere. Japanese intruders continued to shoot the bare-handed people.
This day was only the beginning of the massacre.
On the day break of 14th, headed by tanks, Japanese mechanized forces entered NanJing. They continue to slaughter the refugees in other streets, gun shots, hand grenades can be heard all day, never stop for a moment, until no person can be seen in the streets. They then open YiJiang gate and Peace gate, extend the killing to outside the city.
After the two-day slaughter on the 13th and 14th, South and North ZhongShan avenue and Central avenue and nearby streets and residence became roads of blood and houses of blood.
