The Battle of Songhu (also known as the Battle of August 13th; Japan said the second Shanghai incident broke out in August 1937 13. After the Lugouqiao Incident, Jiang Zhongzheng took the initiative to fight back in Shanghai in order to change the direction of Japanese invasion from north to south to east and west, so as to facilitate long-term operations and attract the attention of the international community. This was the first large-scale battle between China and Japan in China and War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and it was also the largest in the whole Sino-Japanese war. For China, this battle marked the real beginning of the undeclared but all-round war between the two countries, and the regional conflict after the Lugouqiao Incident escalated into all-round war. Even though Japan's national strength was much higher than that of China at that time, it mobilized the whole of Japan and immediately launched an all-out war. For example, it immediately increased the issuance of public debt and launched a nationwide "consumption and savings movement" in Japan.

The battle was fought in the urban and suburban areas of Shanghai, the largest city in the Far East at that time. At that time, Shanghai was the largest commercial port in China, accounting for more than half of the country's annual foreign trade volume. Only the French Concession in Shanghai and the half of the Shanghai Concession south of Suzhou River are armed and neutral, and they are divided into defense zones of French, British, American and Italian troops respectively. Gongxian Concession to the north of Suzhou Creek and its cross-border road-building area belong to the Japanese defense zone and are the operational bases of the Japanese army in Shanghai. China and Japan have about 6,543,800 troops fighting. The battle lasted for three months.

The Battle of Songhu was the largest and most tragic battle in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. During three months, the Japanese army invested more than 300,000 people in nine divisions and two brigades, and announced more than 40,000 casualties. The China army invested more than 750,000 people in 75 divisions and 9 brigades, and counted 300,000 casualties by itself; By1937165438+1October 12, Shanghai fell, and the battle between Shanghai and Songsong ended. China's soldiers and civilians fought bloody battles, shattered Japan's arrogant plan of "destroying China in three months", gained time, and moved out a large number of factories, mines and strategic materials from Shanghai and other places, which played an important role in persisting in the long-term war of resistance.