This week we will honor a team of heroes
Allow me to introduce...
The International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone!
This was a group of foreign diplomats, businessmen, missionaries, and journalists who were living in the city of Nanking during the 1930s. Nanking was the capital of China at the time. Some were there for economic opportunities. Others were there on diplomatic missions on behalf of their country and some were there on religious missions. By the year 1937, many of them had come to think of Nanking as their home. However, nothing could have prepared them for when the Japanese invaded China. When that happened, many of them were forced to make a choice.
The Second Sino-Japanese War officially began on July 7, 1937. t By November, the Japanese Army had captured the city of Shanghai and began to advance on Nanking. The city soon became a frequent target for bombing raids. Hoping to protect Chinese civilians from the bombs, the Westerners quickly petitioned their governments to create an international zone within Nanking. Instead, many of them received orders to leave Nanking. Most of them obeyed these orders, however a handful chose to stay. On November 22 they, formed the Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone.
The committee consisted of 7 Americans, 3 Germans, 1 Dane, and 4 Britons. Headed by the German businessman John Rabe (who happened to be a member of the Nazi party), they established a 3.4 mile area that was deemed to be international territory. Once completed, they raised the flags of their countries show that the zone was international property. As they did, the Japanese reached the outskirts of Nanking. Soon, the city was subjected to shelling and bombing on a daily basis which caused thousands of Chinese refugees to flood into the Safety Zone. During one such bombing raid, Rabe used a giant Nazi flag to shelter refugees from a massive bombing raid as he knew the Japanese wouldn't bomb members of the Nazi party for fear of hurting their alliance with Germany.
On December 13, the Japanese broke through Chinese defenses and entered Nanking. The Chinese army was soundly defeated and scattered throughout the city. Many of them flooded into the safety zone seeking refuge. Soon Nanking was officially captured by the Japanese army. What remained of the Chinese army retreated (thousands of them were left behind within Nanking). It is estimated that as many as 50,000 people were killed in the capture of Nanking. Little did anyone know, that the carnage was only just beginning.
Within hours of capturing the city, the Japanese army immediately began to massacre the population. They started by slaughtering large numbers of Chinese POWs. They then began to round up numerous civilians and murder them in horrible ways. Some of the Japanese even began killing contests where a number of people were lined up and beheaded one by one. The Japanese also committed numerous acts of rape against Chinese women in Nanking. This is known because the foreigners were secretly documenting the massacre and rescued survivors. Rabe himself wrote, "If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it." Over a course of six weeks, it is estimated that a total of 300,000 Chinese people were murdered in Nanking.
The people who were lucky enough to reach the Safety Zone were able to find some protection. As a sign of respect for international law, the commanders of the Japanese Army ordered there soldiers not to enter the zone. Unfortunately this did not stop Japanese soldiers from secretly entering the zone to kill or rape the people inside. Often times, the foreigners in the zone had to personally intervene to stop people from being massacred in the zone itself. The massacre officially ended in January of 1938 when Japanese commanders set up a puppet government within Nanking and took control of their soldiers. After this, many of the refugees left the Safety Zone and returned to their homes.
After this, the foreigners received orders to return to their respective countries. They are believed to have saved the lives of over 200,000 people who took shelter in the zone. Many of these foreigners (John Rabe included) did lived to receive any recognition for their heroism. However, their documentation of the massacre was later used as evidence in the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal after World War II.
The heroism of those involved in establishing the Nanking Safety Zone is beyond astounding. They witnessed terrible atrocities being committed and chose to do something about. They did their best to save as many people as they could using what little they had. I believe that they are prime examples of the best of humanity and serve to inspire people around the world.
https://thenankingmassacre.org/2015/07/04/the-safety-zone-and-american-missionaries/
https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/foreigners-establish-safety-zone-and-intervene-save-civilians-during-nanking-massacre-1937-1
https://www.facinghistory.org/nanjing-atrocities/atrocities/rescue-and-resistance-nanjing
Chang, Iris (1997). The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II
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