THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 7, 1941.
CHEQUES TO
PASSENGER TELLS SMALLER
OF C.N.A.C. 'PLANE BOMBING
GRAPHIC DETAILS which were impossible to include in the brief wireless messages that reached Shanghai concerning the bombing of a China National Aviation Corporation 'plane on May 20 near Suifu by Japanese bombers were revealed in a letter written by one of the passengers on the luck- less aircraft to a Shanghai resident.
It may be recalled that three Americans were on the aircraft together with many other passengers but all managed to escape unscathed.
BOMBS FALL ON MARKET
(By A Dover Correspondent]
The C.N.A.C. 'plane was flying from Chungking to Chengtu when it was caught in the middle of Japanese air operations. The pilot immediately grounded the 'plane but it did not escape the eye of the Japanese squadrons. According to the letter, no less than 212 bombs were rained down in the region of the 'plane.
'Plane Is Hit
One of these struck the right
SAVE PAPER
•
Bank cheques are to be made smaller to save wastage of paper.
This was announced by the Minister of Supply in Parliament.
THINGS QUIET IN
WEIHAIWEI
Summer vacationers who consider Weihaiwei the ideal resort to go to
wing of the aircraft but fortun-escape from the heat and ately all passengers had tied into grime of the city will find the hills by that time. After a
the harrowing experience, pas-things peaceful in sengers were taken to their desti-
the
A busy market-place in the centre of the Dover area was selected as a tar-nation by a rescue place from northern port once they get by prowling Nazi Hong Kong.
bombers. Market men and women and large numbers of shoppers in a nearby street had narrow escapes.
"We got away at 9.30 a.m.
have landed, according to
and were in the air only twelve a letter received by A minutes when Chungking had an
alarm, and we learned through Shanghai resident from a
the radio that there were six
batches of planes up and tour holiday-maker there.
of them headed our way. Wo
then changed our course and Visitors to Welhalwei should went to Sulfu and came down. I have their cholera and smallpox We had then been up one and one-half hours.
I was in a building a few feet away at the time of the attack. There was no sound of aircraft. Dense low cloud obscured the sun, and a blanket-like mist only
Flight Into Hills few hundred feet above ground hung uver the streets. Then, "We left the 'plane. got some like bolts from the blue, six high- noodles and sat down to wait. explosive bombs crashed down. Messages came thick and
a
fast. and
Three of them fell in the centre | Japanese pursuits were up of the town. I found myself at about. Then we learned they full length on the floor, with the were coming directly our way. wall of the building shivering We all left the field and the violently as the succession of passengers and the crew fled to bombs crashed down.
the hills.
"We did not have long to wait until 26 'planes came straight for
breath We held our
and
vaccination certificates dated as nearly as possibly to the time of departure, as new certificates are required every three months. Cameras and photographic equip- ment and accessories are taboo. being looked upon with disfavour by the authorities states the wri- ter whose letter follows:-
*Conditions here are perfectly peaceful once you have Fanded. and, in fact. I had no trouble at I struggled to my feet and
all because I left all my baggage saw two palle of smoke leap
in the hands of the hotel servant up from the market-place
and he did all the worrying with across the road, Debris was waited the inevitable. Two hun- the Water Polic of a certain flung in all directions.
dred and twelve bombs were put nationality. down right beside Us with
Buried Under Debris
us.
a
that beggars description. Running to the market-place I fury
terrific. It found a huge hole through the The concussion was roof, and stalls of fish. vegetables almost blew me off the ground. and other foodstuffs hurled into confusion.
Women were being
dragged from the debris.
Another
Perfunctory Search
"The excuse they make for tearing all the baggage to bits is Gasoline Catches Afire that a wel'known Shanghai gen- tleman accidentally left two guns struck. One in his trunk-so now they pounce but bomb fell near,
"The plane was
and search men, while A.R.P. workers gave "Are- bomb going straight through the on everybody
and children. Actually man's lifts" to two young girls right wing and dozens of bombs women
the 'plane, almost they did not search me because who had been badly shaken, all around and buried under the wreckage, outlining it on the ground. Why I walked through saying "good- the market men and women set it did not catch on an example which remember,
Are is a morning, good-morning. good-
I shall long miracle. We had left our baggage morning," to everyone concerned, Inside as we had no time to get which so shook them that they "good-morning" Even while cuts and bruises it out. Mud and rock was thrown weakly replied were being dressed they were far up the hillside, but no-one and let it go at that, Mrs. N. says busily engaged in reproducing was injured or killed. order in their shattered market- two pigs, two goats and a place. Half an hour later stalls chickens were killed. had been righted.
As I was coming away a man appeared at one stall run by a woman. "Why didn't you turn up at the time you promised?" ask- ed the woman jokingly. "Now your eggs have been bombed."
WE MUST WIN ON LAND
.
However, that the three ladies in her party
few were searched but I think it i
must be a very perfunctory affair, "Then we discovered that the, because nobody else has com- gacoline drums near the plane plained. were on fire and we thought of course the 'plane would go.) but it did not. One wing had
a direct hit, and it looked sorry. A house nearby was burned as was also the barracks of some soldiers.
"We found a hostel about one- half mile away who fed us: they had mosquito nets and there we spent the night. Even got a bath. We were a jolly crowd, bent but not broken, We were delighted that we had not lost our baggage, Early yesterday morning. the 'nlane that came up from. Hong.
Tank Chief's View Kong.came out to the stricken
STRATOSPHERE MES ATTACK BALLOONS
"If anybody asks you about the position here it is safe to say that the feeling with the Japanese authpritles is very good: a senior officer of the landing- party has called round at the hotela, and foreign houses and the explained personally that authorities want to make things as easy as possible for summer visitors, but they must be care. ful not to bring any firearms, not to photograph soldiers or any military or naval objects, not to carry binoculars: outside your own premises, and not to use an electriotoroh outside your own garden at night.
Officer Most Polite "Actually the articles on which' the water police pounce are cam- Leras and any fitting that go with them, binoculars, and electric forches: If they seize theso(they did not happen to seize mine)
MAJOR-GEN, GIFFARD LE Qone and took us off. under alarm, MARTEL, COMMANDER OF THE but we made Chengtu O.K.". ROYAL ARMOURED CORPS, "BOMBING SAID IN LONDON: ALONE WILL NEVER WIN THE WAR. BOMBING GERMANY CANNOT SUBJUGATE THE GERMANSSENTIRELY, HOW- "EVER HARD.YOU-BOMB THEM. "The important clash-in battles of the future must be between; the armoured divisions: We have the Two Me 109Fs - Germany's you have to go to Headquarters advantage that we can mechanise latest stratosphere fighters and claim them personally. This the British Army to a greater ex- were driven off by anti-aircraft causes some trouble, and gives tent than the Germans. We live fire after shooting down one them the chance to read the on the land and we must beat barrage balloon at Dover. One Riot Act mentioned above before them on the land raider was seen to be smoking. they return the things to you. I "America will have to produce Later It was announced that am told that the officer who call- more and more tanks. I am very one raider was shot down by ed on the hotels etc., was most polite and can only repeat that pleased with the type of tank that fightersve
once you are landed everything
we are using now but the There was a little activity over experiments go on. What we the coast and bombs dropped in n is just as peaceful as ever, I for- want is the dual-purpose, tanic town on the cast coast caused with "great
hitting power and some damage and a small number of casualties. speed."
got than FR.B. currency should be brought you can pay your ship's bar account by cheque,?
Couldn't keep
on the ball to-day!