LIUCHOW BASE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 147, 23 June 1945, Page 5

LIUCHOW BASE

BATTLE ON OUTSKIRTS

More Big Japanese Withdrawals

In China •

N.Z. Press Association—Cop>4-ight

Rec. 1 p.m.

CHUNGKING, June 22

The High Command has announced that the Chinese attacking Liuchow airfield, in Kwangsi province, inflicted considerable casualties. The Japanese have withdrawn the bulk of their Liuchow garrison to Kweilin, leaving only 1000 or 2000 troops to defend the city.

Unconfirmed reports reaching American Combat Headquarters at Kunming say that Liuchow is in flames. The airfield has been wrecked and the city might fall in a matter of hours.

I General Wedemeyer's communique states that Mustangs attacked large concentrations of Japanese trucks in North Hunan, destroying 95 vehicles and damaging 50 others. The fighters strafed and bombed the Paoching, Lingling, Kweilin and Liuchow areas. Bombers attacked Dosing, a Japanese supply centre on the river weat of Canton. The Chinese High Command reported that five Chinese columns are pressing on Liuchow. One has penetrated to the south railway station and the others are attacking the air base on the southern outskirts. More.Japanese Withdrawals The Chinese are pushing up the east coast 31 miles past Wenchow. A Japanese relief column is thrusting southward from Ningpo, 110 miles south of Shanghai, to support the withdrawal to the north along the coastal highway above Wenchow. A Chinese High Command spokesman said that most of the enemy troops at Amoy and Swatow had withdrawn recently, leaving 1000 to 3000 men in each port. The Chinese counter-attacked the Japanese near Anyuan, a highway centre 165 miles north-east of Canton. The Chinese are advancing toward Lungan, 35 miles west of Anyuan. Tatung, 35 miles north of Lungan, was recaptured yesterday. A spokesman said that the Japanese had withdrawn 5000 troops from Hainan, the big island off the Kwantung Peninsula, comprising virtually the whole garrison. These troops joined tl*e Japanese on the mainland in countering the Chinese advance against Liuchow. ■ 'I .■-.:■...:.■_ &■■