In the 1930s the Japanese invaded China and its surrounding countries. Manchuria and a few other countries desperately tried to hold back the Japanese advance, but ended up failing. China was never fully captured, but at times seemed to be. It was more guerilla warfare than actual battles. The Japanese advanced into Chinese cities, slautering thousands of people. America tried to help, but ended up not doing much up in China. Their military leader, Chiang-Kai-Shek, wanted them to be seen as the biggest heroes in the Pacific-Asia Theater. The most help we gave to China was not in China itself, but by fighting for control of the Pacific, thereby diverting most of Japan's attention away from China and to America in the Pacific.