forgotten massacre of World War 2:

Many Westerners know about the horrors that have happened on their side of the world throughout history. But, all too often, when an atrocity happens on the other side of the world, people don't hear much about it. Alongside all the catastrophes that plagued Europe during World War II, the atrocities committed in Southeast Asia were every bit as disturbing.⁠

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And few of the atrocities committed in Asia during World War II were as terrible as the Nanking Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking. In the mere six weeks during which the Japanese perpetrated the Nanking Massacre starting on December 13, 1937, an estimated 20,000 to 80,000 Chinese women were raped and sexually assaulted by Japanese soldiers while at least 300,000 civilians were killed.⁠

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They sometimes went door-to-door, dragging out women and even small children and violently gang-raping them. Then, once they'd finished with their victims, they often murdered them. Such killing wasn't just an act of senseless barbarity, either — these men were following orders. "So that we will not have any problems on our hands," one commander told his men, referring to any women they've raped, "either pay them money or kill them in some obscure place after you have finished."⁠

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See more photos of this forgotten massacre of World War 2: