The Nanking MassacreEvaluate and discuss the significance of the atrocities of the Nanking Massacre. During World War II, many atrocities were committed that resulted in millions of innocent victims. atrocities and that Nanking was one of the most horrific, not only in East Asia, but in the entire world. The Auschwitz concentration camp resulted in the deaths of more than 1.1 million Jews, while the Nanking massacre accounted for only a fraction of that, 300,000. But what sets the Nanking massacre apart from 'Auschwitz is the way it was conducted. Westerners who were in Nanjing at the time as aid described it as "hell on earth." Making it one of the most significant atrocities of World War II. In December 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), after finally defeating the Chinese at Shanghai in November, 50,000 Japanese troops moved towards Nanking and launched their attack on Nanking which lasted 6 weeks. The Chinese soldiers stationed in Nanking were poorly trained and lacked the organization necessary to resist the power of the IJA. After 4 days of desperate fighting, China surrendered, but the IJA had a "three all policy" which consisted of killing everything, pillaging everything, destroying everything; which meant that the 90,000 Chinese troops surrendering was unnecessary, especially since the crime is considered one of the most dishonorable acts in Japanese culture. IJA soldiers were encouraged by their superiors to practice grotesque forms of punishment on POWs (POWs), such as mutilation, target practice, bayonet training and even burn them alive, all in order to harden the soldiers. IJA soldiers continue to massacre more than 300,...... middle of paper...... Yoshida. The making of “The Rape of Nanking”. 2006, page 64+Jun Hongo (February 23, 2012). "Nagoya mayor won't budge from Nanjing remark". Japan Times. The Rape of Nanking. Real. Anne Pick. Perf. Olivia Cheng. C-SPAN Archives, 2007. VHS. (Book): Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: the forgotten holocaust of the Second World War. New York, NY: BasicBooks, 1997. Print. (Documentary): The Rape of Nanking, Dir. Anne Pick. Perf. Olivia Cheng. 2007 (Website): The History Place - Genocide in the 20th century: Rape of Nanking 1937-38. " The History Place - Genocide in the 20th century: Rape of Nanking 1937-38 Web. March 27, 2014. (Website): Tharoor, Ishaan. "Time.com." World The scenes of the Nanjing massacre 75 years ago Comments Np, April 2.. 2014. .