1937-09-23 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 23, 1937.

CANTON'S SEVEREST RAID Hundreds Watch Terrific Air Battle For An Hour

SEVERAL DOG-FIGHTS TRAITORS

RIGHT OVER CITY

Canton, To-day, 9.15

Conference

ROUNDED UP IN On Balkans

Canton has just been through the most thrill-CANTON

Ankara, To-day.

The Turkish Government has dé- cided to invite the chiefs of staff of the armies of all Balkan Powers to a general conference in Ankara The Chinese police state that for discussion of the general poli-

Canton, To-day.

ing air raid it has yet experienced, with big Japan- ese bombers in action, anti-aircraft guns rocking the city and dog fights between Chinese and Japan-they have rounded up over 50 Ja-tical and military situation in the ese planes presenting an amazing spectacle in the panese agents last night Balkans and the Mediterranean. clear blue sky.

These men, it was alleged, guided The Nyon Agreement will also be Japanese aircraft during air-raids discussed.

It is expected that the conference

Yugo-Slavian army manoeuvres.. fatally Trans-Ocean.

North, south, east and west has been brimful by sending up rockets of various of aerial activity for the past hour, making all pre-colours indicating the various will begin immediately after the vious Japanese aerial visitations fade into compar-localities in the city.

Three "agents" were ative insignificance.

wounded when attempting to es- The actual number of invading machines is un-cape from the Police. certain but there were at least nine bombers, ac- For one of the arrested men it

companied by escorting fighting machines, which pilots have been instructed to avoid Fair Weather

are almost constantly in view of the excited crowds below.

H

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› Many bombs were dropped and it is feared that the damage must be considerable. INTENSIVE A.A. FIRE

was learned that Japanese

Shameen at all costs; and that it was the "agents"" duty to assist

The Royal Observatory reported the aviators in avoiding Shameen. this morning that a new by sending up coloured rockets.

cyclone is developing over golia and Manchuria,

anti- Mon

Pressure is relatively low in a trough extending across the south-

It was also learned that one of the Japanese objectives was the Pearl Bridge, which connects Ho nam with the main city-Our Ownern part of the China Sea to the

Pacific east of the Philippines.

Local forecast:-E winds, mo derate; fair.

parative safety.

Chinese crowds sat quietly along

Reuter's correspondent had a grandstand view Correspondent of the whole engagement from the roof of the Vic- toria Hotel, whence he witnessed time and time again groups of Japanese planes flying in forma tion through intensive anti-aircraft fire from three or more batteries at various points.

3

Black puffs where the shells exploded dotted the sky on all sides of the target, and though the shells usually fell short they forced the Japanese to keep their distance.

The Japanese planes kept beautiful formation throughout, and only once turned ragged when one plane was compelled to swerve away as the result of a particularly close shell. It soon resumed its place in formation, however.

When one group of Japanese planes retreated out of sight, another three would come in from other directions, only to meet the same blast from the archies.

DOG-FIGHTS WATCHED BY THOUSANDS

Two or three dog fights were clearly followed by thousands of eager eyes. On one occasion a Japanese and a Chinese plane circled about each other again and again at a height of from 8,000 to 10,000 feet.

Suddenly the Chinese plane appeared to turn over and fell towards the earth.

For a moment anxious watchers believed the pilot was finished but he apparently regained con- trol and headed for his base in a north-easterly direction.

His Japanese opponent followed just above him for a short way but then turned away to the south.

Meanwhile, east of the city two planes swoop- ed low behind the house tops in the direction of the Honam bridge and the Canton-Kowloon Railway station, but apparently contented themselves with raking the ground with machine-gun fire and no bombs were heard.

י

During the A.A. guns action charmed life. against the raiders, machine-guns Considerable shrapnel must have at various points in the city joined fallen all over the city but Shameen, in and peppered the invaders, but though stunned by the din of the the Japanese apparently bore a engagement, is still a place of com-

the Shakee Bund, thrilled by unforgettable sight. -

an

Their behaviour was splendid, in CHOLERA CASES contrast to the excitement shown a few weeks ago. Reuter.

Only eight new cases of cholera

Report of an earlier raid this morning will be found in Page Four. were reported to the Health

PLANE-DOWNED

Canton, To-day. The Chinese claim that one

Japanese plane was downed in Lingnan University Reuter.

this morn

west of

AMERICAN EXPRESS

De- partment in the 24 hours ended at midnight. Three occurred in Vic- toria, one in Kowloon and one each in Shaukiwan, Rural Hong Kong, the New Territories and the har- 'bour.

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