The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Amoy (Xiamen; 118.075E
24.449N) was opened as a treaty
port
to the British in
1842, as part of the settlement of the
Opium War against China. An
International Settlement
similar to the one at Shanghai
was established on the nearby island of Kulangsu in
1902. As a result, Amoy had fairly extensive port facilities
for coastal
traffic. In peacetime, the port handled extensive tungsten traffic.
Amoy was repeatedly bombarded by the Japanese from September 1937 on. The port was invaded on 10 May 1938 by elements of 2 Combined SNLF. The defending 75 Division was quickly forced back and the port fell three days later, driving thousands of refugees into the International
Settlement and leaving Foochow dangerously exposed.
On 11 May 1939, the Japanese landed 150 troops on
Kulangsu and blockaded the island in response to the murder two days
earlier of a Chinese merchant. There followed a tense period of
negotations between Japan and the British and Americans, all of whom
stationed warships off
the island. It was six months before the Japanese lifted their
blockade, by which time the Europeans were involved in a war back home.
Japan finally seized control of the Settlement on 7 December 1941.
References
Axis History Forum (accessed 2010-11-11)
Official
website (accessed 2009-10-22)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009-2010 by Kent G. Budge. Index
