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THE EPIC OF HONG-KONG
Times
13 JAN 1947
SCORCHED EARTH
Although the Japanese indulged in their usual indiscriminate bombing before the final assault, civilian casualties never ex- ceeded 150 a day.
Further details of the scorched earth
HEROISM AGAINST policy in Hong-kong reveal that the great
HUGE ODDS
CIVILIAN BRAVERY
From Our Special Correspondent
CHUNGKING, JAN. 12 According to the latest details received here from Shiukwan the defenders of Hong-kong, after fighting with grim tenacity for nearly three weeks, were Sfinally forced to lay down their arms as much through sheer physical exhaustion as shortage of water. The original garrison of little over 10,000 was sadly depleted by heavy casualties. The Japanese, on the other hand, were able to bring up large numbers of fresh troops for each new attack. Towards the end they had more than 20,000 men on the island alone. "We t were half dead on our feet," one survivor hat Shiukwan told me," when the Japanese e made their final big assault on the Wan- e chai district."
The congested Wanchai district was only e a short distance from battle headquarters, which were situated in a deep bombproof ndug-out near the heart of Hong-kong. The e survivors at Shiukwan agreed that the e Japanese went all out to overwhelm y the island before the Chinese forces on the y mainland could muster their full strength
for an attack from the rear.
The survivors at Shiukwan do not attempt to minimize the weight of the organized Japanese attack. The enemy used his undisputed command of the air to full advantage. The moment his troops landed on the island, small units, armed with tommy-guns, mortars, and grenades, made for the strong points marked on their detailed maps. Others penetrated the A.R.P. tunnels, and by using secret connecting passages, with which they appeared to be familiar, tried to throw the defenders into confusion.
CRUDE PROPAGANDA The Japanese showered leaflets on the Colony urging the Chinese to mutiny, inviting the Indians to desert, and 1 threatening savage reprisals against the Britons for each Japanese soldier killed. The leaflets, which were of the crudest kind, had no more effect than the loud- speakers which issued similar appeals and threats from Kowloon. Civil moral remained unshaken till the last.
Among the unsung heroes of the battle of Hong-kong were the civilians who carried on their usual tasks in the face of bombing, shelling, and privation, without sa murmur. During the last hectic week the island was without light, water, or power, and the populace was reduced to e drinking the brackish dregs of disused swells, which, as one of the survivors told -me, were hardly to be swallowed. Over 190,000 free meals were served daily, and d free rice was issued to Chinese refugees from the fighting areas. The main roads of the island were badly damaged by bombing and shelling, but the streets of the city itself were never blocked with débris. The civilian defence services- food control, first aid, and the like-kept going with the utmost credit. British,
Chinese, Indians, and
1 oil tanks of Kowloon were blown up by British shellfire from the Island after our forces withdrew from the mainland. The naval vessels destroyed to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy in- cluded the gunboats stationed at the booms of both entrances to the harbour. After completing the destruction of their vessels the crews of the gunboats as well as those of merchant ships in the port took an active part in the last desperate defence of the Colony.
In fact, every man, young or old, who could carry arms seized a weapon of some kind in order to help the exhausted troops to try to stem the onslaught of the enemy. Although Hong-kong was finally forced by the exhaustion of the dwindling forces and the lack of water to ask for terms after scorning two peace offers from the Japanese, nothing can dim the heroism with which civilians as well as military and naval personnel fought a hopeless fight against terrific odds in the cause of freedom.
CHRISTMAS DAY ESCAPE
After talking to the survivors of the Christmas Day escape from Hong-kong I am able to give new details of their dash for freedom.
Admiral Chan Chak, the Chinese liaison officer who led the party, remained at his post in Hong-kong until his splendid help was no longer needed. About two hours after the colony had been forced to capitulate the party assembled at the fishing village of Aberdeen, on the south side of the Island. The Japanese were constantly bombing, shelling, and sniping at the little port, which was the only sea approach to the island not in their hands. Un- able to wait a moment longer the party, numbering about a dozen, set out to run the blockade in a small launch in broad daylight.
"As soon as we cleared the shore," one of them told me to-day, the Japanese opened fire on us from the hills with rifles, machine- guns, and small field pieces. Although we had a lucky escape from the shells we were hit by a hail of bullets which killed some of our party and wounded others. After keeping up an in- tense fire for many minutes the enemy silenced our engine with a final burst of machine-gun bullets.
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Diving over the side, we swam for the island of Aplichau, half a mile distant. This was the worst part, because we were under fire the whole way. Even when we reached Aplichau the Japanese continued to snipe at us, but I was too exhausted to climb out of danger. Admiral Chan Chak managed to reach the shore in spite of loss of blood from a wound in the wrist and the lack of a leg, lost in his coun- try's service. Finally I succeeded in clawing my way up the rocks with hands torn and bleeding, and on the other side of the island we found a naval launch.
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Suffering severely from exposure we set 1 out in the new launch in clear moonlight. A Japanese cruiser flashed her searchlight on to us, but luckily the four shells she fired went wide. When we landed on the mainland the next morning we met Chinese guerrilla leaders, who led us through the Japanese lines. After 12 days of travel, on foot, by bicycle, sampan, and motor-bus. we reached Shiukwan, where we were given a royal welcome."
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