1938-05-17 — Page 11

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THE CHINA MAIL, MAY. 17; 1938.

LESS

GLOOMY

VIEW

OF HSUCHOW BATTLE

Chinese Hard Pressed, But Fighting Back

HOTEL FIRE DISASTER

IN AMERICA

[

Atlanta (Georgia), · To-day.

Fifteen were killed and a num- ́ber injured in a serious fire which broke out in a hotel in Atlanta yesterday.

Cause of the fire was an explo- sion in the basement, and the five- storey building was completely destroyed.-Reuter.

JAPANESE COLLAPSING IN SHANSI

Hankow, To-day.

The Chinese spokesman declared to-day that in Shansi, the Chinese forces had recaptured 34 cities previously occupied by the Japan- ese, and that from March 7 to May 10, the Chinese had inflicted on the Japanese casualties totalling 27,780 killed and wounded.

Japan's Victory

Claims

Premature

Hankow, To-day.

MR. CHURCHILL

HOPEFUL OF

CZECH PEACE

"I am

London, To-day.

very glad to find the

Severe fighting is raging in west Shantung, where

the Chinese evacuated Kinghsiang on Sunday prospects of a good friendly settle- morning, according to Chinese reports from ment between the Czecho-Slovakian the front.

Government and the Sudeten Deutsche far better than I had ex- Japanese troops from Tsaochowfu are stated to be pected,' declared Mr. Winston moving in a south-west direction on King-Churchill in a speech at Bristol last hsiang and Chuyau.

night.

A small Japanese detachment has reached Lungkwantsi and Matou- Mr. Churchill had conferred tsi, villages 20 kilometres north-east of Kaochen, which is with Herr Konrad Henlein, Sude- north-east of Lanfeng, on the Lunghai Railway.

ten leader, during the latter's visit to London.

Mr. Churchill saw no reason why the Sudeten Deutsche should not become trusted and honoured state. partners in the Czecho-Slovakian

į

IT WAS THIS MOVE THAT APPARENTLY GAVE RISE TO THE JAPANESE REPORT THAT THEIR TROOPS HAD CUT THE RAILWAY AT LANFENG.

Chinese forces at. Kaochen Latest advices indicate that a launched a vigorous attack and Japanese detachment has entered dispersed the Japanese detachment the east gate of Hofei, Street fight-

Such a happy result would be ing is going on at present, with the due to the fact that German Chinese stubbornly holding out.-pressure was counter-balanced by Reuter.

the firm and courageous state- ments of France, supported to a very considerable extent by the British Government. Reuter,

there.

Another Japanese detachment reached Tawangtsi, 18 kilometres north of Tsaohsien, but the Japan- ese are stated to have quickly re- tired when Chinese troops engaged

them.

JAPANESE RETIRE

The spokesman pointed out that the Japanese invaded Shan- It is also claimed that a Japan si hoping to launch a drive to ese detachment, appearing 14 miles south-west China, as well as sup-south-east of Tangshan, west of porting the Japanese drive south Hsuchowfu, retired when the Chin- along the Peiping-Hankow Rail-ese subjected it to severe artillery

and infantry attacks.

way.

The situation appeared graver to Kweiteh. than at present at Hsuchowfu, he stated.

included over

FRANCE TO BUY PLANES IN AMERICA

Paris, To-day.

The French Air Ministry has de-

U.S. AIRCRAFT FACTORIES TOO BUSY FOR R.A.F.

When the Japanese completed The Japanese column reaching cided to purchase 100 American

WASHINGTON, TO-DAY. -occupation-of-the-Tungpu-Rail-Yungchen-was-comprised-of-mech--

fighting planes, with President SONABLE, AMERICAN

ALTHOUGH PRICES ARE REA- way, the position was very alarm-anised cavalry and

MANU- ing for the Chinese, as China's 180 tanks.

Roosevelt's permission, in view of FACTURERS AT PRESENT ARE north-west provinces, as well as the Lunghai Railway and Honan, is stated to have headed for Tang-turers to fulfil the first part of the

One detachment of this column the inability of French manufac-FAR TOO BUSY TO PRODUCE PLANES IN SUFFICIENT, QUAN- were endangered.

shan, while another is proceeding

TITIES ΤΟ MEET BRITAIN'S air expansion plan.

REQUIREMENTS. An official statement expresses This, according to well-informed the hope that French manufac- officials here, is the report sent to turers will be able to meet the the Air Ministry in London by the country's future needs.

British air mission. The first planè, it is understood, The mission, which has carried After two months' hard fighting their positions south of the rail- will be delivered next November out an extensive tour of United in the Shansi mountains, the spokes-way a Chinese flying column is at- and the order will be completed States aeroplane factories, left for man declared, the Chinese had fin-tacking Yungchen and Mengchen by next Spring. Reuter. Canada on Saturday.-Reuter. ally succeeded in driving out enemy, and soon the province would be entirely cleared of Japanese troops.

TWO MONTHS' FIGHTING

REAR THREATENED While the Chinese forces, with their backs to the railway, are fighting desperately to hold on to

the and

rear.

The Chinese would use- Shansi as a base for a drive either eastward towards the Peiping-Hankow - Rail- way or to strike north-east in the. direction of the Peiping Tientsin Railway-Reuter.

:

CHILDREN

HAVE YOU ENTERED FOR THE

SNOW WHITE CONTEST ?

See Page 2...

is threatening the Japanese

A Japanese column advancing north on Haichow has been halted at Fuming, in north Kiangeu, with the Chinese holding the north bank of the Yellow River bed north of Fuming.

A small Japanese cavalry detach- ment has gone round the Chinese left, reaching... Tungsiancheng, north-west of Fuming, on the east bank of the Yen River.

T.P.R. FIGHTING

On the Tientsin-Pukow Railway, north of Pengpu, the Chinese and Japanese are reported to be facing each other across the Hul River, south of Kucheng.

Further south, in the Hofei area, the Chinese reached Chaohsien on |Friday - last week but withdraw later to Hofel when the city was threatened.

Here's Luck!

DRINK

EWO

BEER