1937年，抗日戰爭爆發。其後至淪陷前，廣州嘅外貿同生產都係直接供畀北方軍需同日用消費，支援北方抗戰，因而成為日軍重點轟炸目標之一。9月起，日軍無差別轟炸廣州不斷，財產損失、平民死傷無數。1938年10月14號，日軍第18師團、及川支隊、第104師團自大亞灣登陸，廣州市進入戰備狀態，市政府撤至粵北。10月20號增城會戰中，國軍失利，日軍突破守軍防線，進攻從化、花縣。第日晚黑，第4戰區喺廣增公路兩側佈防，阻擊日軍。10月21號，日軍佔領咗廣州市區。至10月29號，廣州全線失守。12月21號，日軍組織成立日佔廣東省政府。此後半年國軍同日軍喺廣州市多有爭奪戰，至“良口戰役”後陷入相持狀態。
In 1937, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out. Later, until the fall of Guangzhou, Guangzhou's foreign trade and production were directly supplied to the northern military supplies for daily consumption to support the northern war of resistance, so it became one of the key bombing targets of the Japanese army. Since September, the Japanese army has been bombing Guangzhou indiscriminately, causing property damage and countless civilian casualties. On October 14, 1938, the 18th Division, the Hechuan Detachment, and the 104th Division of the Japanese Army landed at Daya Bay. In the Battle of Zengcheng on October 20, the Nationalist army was defeated, and the Japanese army broke through the defenders' defense line and attacked Conghua and Huaxian. On the evening of the second day, the 4th Theater deployed defenses on both sides of the Guangzeng Highway to block the Japanese army. On October 21, the Japanese army occupied the urban area of Guangzhou. By October 29, the whole line of Guangzhou was lost. On December 21, the Japanese army organized and established the government of the Japanese-occupied Guangdong Province. In the following six months, the Nationalist Army and the Japanese Army fought many battles in Guangzhou, and fell into a stalemate after the Battle of Lin Liangkou.