Japanese invasion of Manchuria

The Japanese invasion of Manchuria was a military incursion in 1931. Manchuria was invaded by the Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan, beginning on September 19, 1931, immediately following the Mukden Incident. The Japanese established a puppet state, called Manchukoku, and their occupation lasted until the end of World War II.

Railway Blitzkrieg

On September 19, 1931, the day after the Mukden Incident, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, which had decided upon a policy of localizing the incident, communicated its decision to the Kwantung Army command.

In violation of orders from Tokyo, Kwantung Army commander in chief General Shigeru Honjō ordered that his forces quickly proceed to expand operations all along the South Manchurian Railway. Under orders from Lieutenant General Jirō Tamon, troops of the 2nd Division moved up the rail line and captured virtually every city along its 730 mile length in a matter of days, occupying Anshan, Haicheng, Kaiyuan, Tiehling, Fushun, Szeping-chieh, Changchun, Kuanchengtzu, Yingkou, Antung, and Penhsihu.

Likewise on September 19, in response to General Honjō's request, the Chosun Army in Korea under General Senjuro Hayashi had...
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