Scene of the bombing between the Palace Hotel and the Cathay Hotel

Title : Scene of the bombing between the Palace Hotel and the Cathay Hotel

Topic : Virtual Shanghai

Year : 1937

Location : Shanghai: International Settlement

Date (start) : Saturday 14 August 1937

Nature : B&W Photo

Support image : Digital

Caption on support : All titles appear as they were listed on the document provided by the holder of this collection. Whenever a change has been made, the original title appears below. As a rule, all Chinese names have been turned in standard pinyin. "14. August - The so called „bloody Saturday“: Chinese bombers tried to bomb the IDZUMO at the Bund but two bombs were falling between Cathay- and Palace Hotel. Approx. 400 persons got killed or wounded."

Information data : August 14,1937. "Shortly after 4:30 this afternoon four Chinese bombing planes appeared out of the west from the direction of Lunghua and flew down the course of the Whangpoo, greeted by a hail of anti-aircraft fire from the Japanese men-of-war in the river. Upon reaching the area of the Bund center, one plane released four bombs of which two landed in the International Settlement, one penetrating the roof and top floor of the Palace Hotel, the other glancing off the side of the Cathay Hotel to continue through tbe canopy covering the entrance the Sassoon House and burst in the street. After circling in the direction of the North Station, one of the planes was seen to cross over Nantao toward the French Concession. While over Boulevard de Montigny, two bombs were dropped from this plane to land at the junction of Avenue Edward VII and Boulevard de Montigny, the intersection of two main arteries of the French Concession. Bursting nearly in the center of the intersection, they penetrated to the main sewer line, blowing a crater approximately 30 feet in diameter and 12 feet deep and making a shambles of a busy corner. " (Georges Bruce, Shanghai's Undeclared War, 1937, pp. 10-11)

Keywords : war;bombing;corpse;fireman;civilian;death

Street name : Nanking