The bombing of Shanghai Station by Japanese forces in August 1937 foreshadowed the destruction that would be wrought by modern aerial bombardment. During the Sino-Japanese War, Japanese air raids left corpses strewn across the ruins of Shanghai Station.

　 In August 1937, the Japanese military bombed Shanghai Station, foreshadowing the destruction that modern aerial bombardment would bring. During the Sino-Japanese War, Japanese air raids reduced Shanghai Station to ruins, with corpses lying scattered across the site. Among the ruins were infants who had been left behind. On August 28, 1937, during the Second Shanghai Incident, a wounded and crying infant was photographed by Wang Xiaoting at Shanghai South Station, which had been bombed by the Japanese military. The image was published in the October 4, 1937, issue of Life magazine. While it had a significant impact on American public opinion, it also sparked controversy at the time over whether it was a staged photograph.

　　The September 18 Incident refers to the event on September 18, 1931, when the Japanese Kwantung Army staged the Mukden Incident to provoke Chinese forces in Northeast China, leading to the invasion of the region. Similarly, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which erupted on July 7, 1937, saw Japanese forces use the disappearance of soldiers as a pretext to attack Chinese garrison troops at Wanping City.

To shift the direction of Japan's invasion from north-south to east-west and make a protracted war easier, the plan was to provoke Japan in the Huadong region, where China's military strength was strongest, draw Japan's military forces to Shanghai, and defeat the Japanese forces in Shanghai with the combined strength of the entire country.

　　On August 9, 1937, the opportunity arose when two Japanese naval lieutenants, including Ohyama Isao, arrived at Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai by car. The Chinese military immediately shot and killed them, claiming they had provoked the Japanese forces. On August 13, the Japanese garrison in Shanghai was surrounded by heavily armed Chinese forces, marking the beginning of the Battle of Songhu.

　　The Japanese forces resisted using the latest weapons and fortified positions, halting the Chinese advance. The Japanese military reinforced its troops in Shanghai, and the Chinese military was unable to defeat the Japanese forces, beginning to shift to a defensive posture. The total strength of the Chinese military reached 800,000, while that of the Japanese military reached 200,000. After three months of intense fighting, the Chinese military found itself in a disadvantageous position. On November 8, Chiang Kai-shek ordered a complete withdrawal, and the Japanese military occupied Shanghai, bringing the Battle of Songhu to an end.

　　Between August 13 and November 8, 1937, the Japanese army suffered 40,000 casualties, while the Chinese army suffered 180,000 casualties. The Chinese army began its retreat on November 8. Most of the Japanese forces in Shanghai continued their advance and continued fighting. Due to hasty orders, sudden retreats, and lack of coordination in command, the Chinese army's retreat turned into a complete rout, allowing the Japanese army to easily catch up and kill them, resulting in over 100,000 casualties.