The Battle of Nanjing ended with the fall of the capital city of Nanjing in 1937 to Japanese troops two months after the Republic of China Government had evacuated the city and relocated to Chongqing.

On December 9, after unsuccessfully demanding the defending Chinese troops in Nanjing to surrender, the Japanese troops, under Lt. Gen. Asaka Yasuhiko (filling in for Gen. Matsui Iwane), launched a massive assault on the city. On December 12, the Chinese troops decided to retreat to the other side of Yangtze River. On December 13, the 6th and the 116th Divisions of the Japanese Army first entered the city. At the same time, the 9th Division entered Guanghua Gate , and the 16th Division entered Zhongshan and Taiping Gates . In the afternoon, two Japanese Navy fleets arrived on both sides of the Yangtze River. On the same day, Nanjing fell to the Japanese. In the following 6 weeks the Japanese troops committed the infamous Nanjing Massacre.

See also: Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)