Security· U.S. Occupation of North China
Tangku Landing
The Tangku landing brought the largest body of American troops onto Chinese soil at the close of the war.
The 1st Marine Division under Major General DeWitt Peck came ashore at the port of Tangku and moved inland to occupy the great city of Tientsin and its approaches. The landing was unopposed; the Japanese garrison awaited orderly surrender, and the immediate task was to take control of the port, the rail connections, and the urban centers before either Chinese faction could fill the vacuum. The Marines fanned out to secure Tientsin, its airfield, and the Taku-Tangku port area, establishing the Hopeh foothold from which the rest of the North China mission would operate. It marked the beginning of a commitment that drew the Corps into the tense space between the surrendering Japanese, the Nationalist government, and the advancing Communists.
Record no. 599