1937-08-24 — Page 24

FORMIDABLE CHINESE

DEFENCES

(Continued from Page 1

ed that they are holding their ground at all points of the line.

The biggest battle is raging on the Woosung- Shanghai Road, where the Chinese have been con- structing formidable redoubts, machine-gun nests, and extensive barbed wire barricades for days.

Japanese warships are blasting away at these points and the Chinese artillery, supporting the 36th, 37th and the 2nd Divisions are furiously reply- ing.

A terrific bombardment of the Hongkew area is also in progress. Our Own Correspondent.

REFUGEES FOR SINGAPORE

Provision Now Being Made

Singapore, To-day.

The Straits Government, at the request of Hong Kong, which is overcrowded, is preparing to quarter se- veral thousands of British refugees from China. It is understood that the Town Hall and other public build- ings are being requisitioned for the purpose--Reuter.

SOVIET AID

SITUATION AT

·TSINGTAO

Significant Japanese Statement.

Tsingtao, To-day.

All Japanese women and children have been evacuated, but the men are remaining.

It is understood that they have been advised by the Consulate- General to be ready for departure, with the additional comment that evacuation will probably not be

necessary.

The Consulate statement is re- ported to refer to the Japanese landing at Woosung and to venture the opinion that Shanghai will soon

Allegations In French be in Japanese hands,

Newspaper

Tokyo, To-day.

A French newspaper is quoted as Japanese authority for al- legations that the Soviet is as- sisting China substantially by the supply of arms and ammuni- tion.

this According to

source, quoted in the Japanese press, the Moscow authorities have already supplied Nanking with 432 guns, 362 aeroplanes, 200 armoured cars and 1,500 ma- chine-gune.-Our Own Corres- pondent.

CHINESE NEAR TIENTSIN

sultant lessening of th a re-

tension

throughout Shantung Province. Our Own Correspondent.

HEAVY GUNFIRE AUDIBLE IN PEPING

Base For Air Raiders

Peiping, To-day. What is happening in the vicinity of the Nankow Pass and Lianghsiang can only be imagined by the roar of artillery and the taking off of several Japanese bombers from this city in the direc tion of Nankow, where it is report- ed one of the fiercest battles is be ing raged between Japanese forces

Guns Tell Tale Through and Central Government troops.

Japanese Give Other Reasons

Tientsin, To-day.

The occasional booming of guns is audible in Tientsin on a wind blowing from the battle- front since Sunday night, and has aroused considerable speci- lation regarding, the origin and locality of the conflict:

Japanese sources maintain that the firing is merely for the purpose, of showing their vigilance, but the fact that the sounds came from south-west of the Pei Ho and a certain number of Japanese troops despatched along the Grand Canal a couple of days ago, coupled with the fact that the rumble of distant gunfire has been heard almost without

hours

For the last week not a day pass- ed without the sounds of artillery being heard here. During the night the faint splatter of machine gun fire can also be heard.

During the day Japanese bom- bers take off at intervals of every 30 minutes and return with their bomb racks empty-Our own Cor- respondent.

TOKYO CLAIMS NANKOW PROGRESS

Envelopment Of Pass

Predicted

Tokyo, To-day, 150 p.m. The Tokyo War Office, in an of- ficial communique, claims that panese troops, after severe

have occupied

to the north o

veloping mov

24

velope

tegic

#arten-

CHINA MAIL, AUGUST

1937

STOP PRESS

TEL: 20022 or 33993

H.M.S. Suffolk, of the Fifth Cruiser Squadron, is proceeding to Hong Kong to-day from Shanghai in order to be avail able to transport the Middlesex Regiment to Shanghai if they are required on the latter's ar- rival here.

Tientsin. 3 p.m. To-day. Reports coming j here. state that the Central Gover- ment troops have reached Yangliutsin, a town about seven miles north-west of this. city.

Our Own Correspon- dent.

Tientsin, 3 p.m. To-day."

It is reported that the Cen- tral Army forces have occu- pied Changsintien, a few miles south of Peiping.

OD

A simultaneous attack Peiping and

Tientsin is ex- pected. Our Own Correspon- dent.

Shanghai, 3 p.m. To-day- According to a Chinese report, Japanese troops who were being landed in the neigh- bourhood of Linho and Yun- tsaopeng were virtually anihi- lated early this morning when they were met with a rain of bullets from machine gun nests: It is estimated that over 1,000 Japanese soldiers were either- shot or drowned... Our Own Correspondent.

Shanghai, To-day.

The strength of the Chinese forces in the Shanghai-Hang- chow area amounts to about 12 Divisions, of which five Divi- sions, or 50,000 men, are Sin direct contact with the Japan- ese, while 2 are in reserve The opposing front lines stretch from approximately the North Shanghai - Woosung Bailway, Station to the north along the round Hongkew. Park and back towards the southeast to the Settlement boundary. This is where most of the present fight- ing is taking place and where

have the Japanese

erect

strong fortifications.

The line then runs from the. Settlement boundary to Point Island, off the most, north-eas terly point of Shanghai The Japanese do not hold a continual line along this section but have established a series of strong posts through which a number of Chinese are filtering. If the. Chinese reach the waterfront in any strength, they will be exposed to point-blank range from the Japanese warships. Reuter

GAS MASKS FOR NANKING

local

NEWS FLASHES

After the

France

Trymen on historial

the World

alised

ROYAL to over 3,6 000

Erato

concern is

be

the

Goy-

ment with g

which

being ma

local-

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