Shanghai (121.470E
31.229N) was the most important city and largest port in
pre-war China.
Built on the Whangpoo River, a tributary of the Yangtze, Shanghai was a small
fishing
village until it was opened to
foreign trade in 1842. The Whangpoo was extensively dredged,
and by 1941 it
was lined with warehouses and docks for miles. A large part
of the city, the
International Settlement, enjoyed extraterritorial privileges and was
run
jointly by the major powers through a ruling council.
The airfield was at Hungkou. The city was headquarters
for 13 Army and China Area Fleet.
Japan attacked Shanghai in 1932, and again in 1937. The second attack destroyed the best German-trained Nationalist Chinese formations, and the Japanese seized control of all Shanghai except the International Settlement. Shanghai then became a major Japanese base, supporting the drive up the Yangtze to Nanking and beyond.
The Japanese seized the International Settlement at the outbreak of the Pacific War. The city remained under Japanese control for the duration.
Climate Information:
Elevation 23'
Temperatures: Jan 46/33, Apr 66/50, Jul 90/74, Oct 74/57, record 104/10
Rainfall: Jan 6/1.9, Apr 9/3.7, Jul 9/5.8, Oct 4/2.8 == 44.7" per annum
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia (c) 2006 by Kent G. Budge. Index