THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 31, 1938.
Page
JAPANESE STORY OF OPERATIONS ROUND HANKOW Reported Attempt To Trap Retreating Forces
"Harried By
Almost Continuous Shellfire"
Shanghai, To-day. Facing increasing pressure from Japanese pursuit .columns, striking north and south along the Canton-Hankow Railway, masses of Chinese troops are falling back from the Wuhan cities, according to Japanese sources.
-TERRIFIC- FIFTEEN
RAINSTORM
Grenada, (West Indies)
To-day,
Casualties in the great rain storm hitherto aro `fivo dead, in- cluding three who were buried alive.
Many were injured, and dam- age to property is estimated at £40,000.-Reuter.
CHINESE DIVISIONS
N. OF HANKOW
SHANGHAI, TOʻDAY.
THE JAPANESE MILITARY SPOKESMAN DECLARED
The watchman of the Soldiers' THAT THERE WERE STILL FIFTEEN CHINESE
and Sailors' Home has reported to ABOUT NORTH AND
They are trying desperately to slip through the
the police that some person enter DIVISIONS lines tightened around their avenues of re-ed the premises during the night NORTH-WEST OF HANKOW, treat, according to field reports reaching Jap-and stole clothing to the value of THAT anese correspondents at Hoshengchao.
During the past three days the once peaceful hills and woodlands along the railway have been turned into bloody battlefields as the van- guards of swiftly moving Japanese detachments reached positions from which they could assault the Chin- ese lines, according to Japanese
sources.
ENORMOUS
HANKOW
$667
IS NORTH OF THE YANGTSE AND EAST OF PEI- PING-HANKOW RAILWAY.
The Japanese forces are hold- ing a line south of this area along the Yangtse as well as east-
JAPANESE ward and northward. LOSSES
Shanghai, To-day.
To the west a gap is still open, but a Japanese · column · moving southward west of the railway is rapidly closing up having already. passed Anlu.
Another Japanese column travers-
Harried by almost continuous shell The total losses suffered by the Japanese as a resulting this area diagonally from
of the Chinese "scorched earth" policy in Han-north-east to south is moving from kow aggregate over one milliard yen, accord- Macheng to Hwapei. ing to rough estimates made by the Japanese inflict a heavy defeat on military authorities and newly arrived consu- lar officials of Hankow..
fire from the Japanese batteries, which found the range of the re- treat route soon after evacuation of Hankow began, the Chinese had no time thus far to reorganise their forces for a major engagement in this area.
.
The Japaneseʼapparently hope to these
remaining Chinese forces but in view of the fact that the Japanese lines to the west are very weak, it
**'| Chinese forces will be able to break.
through.
Investigations carried out by the ships are advancing in the same is generally expected that the
direction along the Yangtse.
Japanese infantry, however, have encountered barbed wire and pill-Japanese revealed that practically box positions which appeared to have been prepared months ago for the purpose of checking a south- ward drive, the Japanese reports
state..
PURSUIT SPEEDED UP
The whole area in question is exceedingly mountainous and dif- ficult to traverse.
all Japanese-owned properties have
BIG GAP BETWEEN
been razed to the ground by the
North of Hankow the Japanese Chinese, especially in the Japanese troops are pushing northwards concession, but many Japanese along the Peiping-Hankow railway
· PLANES ACTIVE properties in the former British while other units are pushing Japanese naval planes were ex- concession were saved through the southwards from Anlu west of the ceedingly active in South China, intervention of foreigners.
railway line.
bombing Chinese troop concentra--- There is, however, still a gap of tions, communications and railway The Japanese reports say their columns speeded. 'up the pursuit
Japanese troops pushing along some 30 kilometres between the bridges. the Hankow-Canton railway line Japanese columns so that the Chin- On the Yangtse, Japanese war- during the past three days in an effort to deal a crushing blow to from Sienning situated 70 kilo ese troops still east of the railway ships, mostly gunboats as larger
metres south of Hankow have line will have the possibility the Chinese before they had an op-reached a point about 10 kilometres withdrawing westwards.
of ships are needing a higher water These level, have reached a point about portunity to complete their retreat south-west of Sienning and are Chinese troops are estimated from twenty miles above Hankow in the
A Japanese detachment which continuing the advance towards ten to fifteen divisions, practically drive towards Yochow.
Yochow while the Japanese war-all provincial units-Trans-Ocean. Ocean.
into the new positions.
launched a frontal assault on the shifting Chinese lines, found several units equipped with tanks. Many Chinese were mowed down when caught between cross-fire in this clash, the Japanese claim..
The Chinese troops which took up positions in the wooded region near Hoshengchiao, battled each other for a time when trees. and bushes prevented them from distin- guishing friend from foe. Many Chinese are said to have been killed and wounded by fire from their comrades, the Japanese allege,
A Chinese unit which possesses armoured cars, tanks and artillery, lay in ambush near Hoshengchino in an attempt to trap the Japanese column, the Japanese reports adding that, the attempt failed, and the Chinese, -the Japanese, allege, were routed, abandoning their tanks and armoured cars in their flight. Reuter...
At about ten o'clock this morn- ing a 19-year-old girl, Wong Lai- king, of No. 983, Canton Road, third floor, was removed, to the Kowloon Hospital in a serious con- dition after she has jumped from the verandah. The motive is not yet known.
BUICK
་
ROVERS
HUMBER
Only a few hours after the Motor ders to the amount of £26,000 Shows and goes to dispr tor Show soon caftari xhad
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