COMMUNIST GENERAL JOINS NANKING FORCES

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22201, 18 September 1937, Page 15

COMMUNIST GENERAL JOINS NANKING FORCES

Eight Chinese Divisions Retreat In Disorder HEAVY CASUALTIES REPORTED IN NORTH CHINA Unsuccessful Night Attack Made On Hongkew Fierce fighting is reported in North China, where the Japanese are said to have launched a large-scale offensive. Working from the Peiping-Tientsin railway line, which they now hold, the Japanese drove in a south-westerly direction, crossing the Hun river, with the apparent object of striking towards the Chinese northern stronghold of Paoting-fu, 100 miles south of Peiping. Heavy casualties were inflicted on the Chinese, according to Japanese reports, and eight divisions of Chinese were forced to retreat in disorder south of Liang-siang. A significant development is the reported reconciliation between General Yeh Chinen-hing and the Nanking Government, by which one of China's best fighting forces, the Eighth Route Army, will swell the ranks of those opposed to the Japanese. At Shanghai an unsuccessful attempt was made by the Chinese to recover lost ground at Tongkew, a north-east suburb. A night attack was resisted by the Japanese, and after close fighting the Chinese retired to their original positions.

COMMUNISTS GIVE ALLEGIANCE Eighth Army’s Offer To Nanking FORMER BITTER ENEMIES OF CHIANG KAI-SHEK (Received September 18, 2 a.m.) NANKING, September 17. In an interview which began in the Communist Delegation’s headquarters and ended in a bomb-proof .ut when Japanese aeroplanes flew over the city, General Yeh Chinen-hing, Chief-of-Staff of the Eighth Route Army, formerly a Communist force, and reputedly the best fighters in China, gave his allegiance to the Nanking Government. He has placed his troops and organisation at the Government’s disposal against the Japanese. It is recalled that General Chiang Kai-shek for 10 years fought the Communist Army, which successfully resisted his continuous attacks and secured control of Shensi Kansu and other regions. These, the Nanking Government has now agreed, shall be organised as special administrative areas with due consideration to their former status. The Communist Party may also nominate candidates throughout China for the forthcoming elections for the people’s Congress. The agreement is regarded as a significant step towards unity, 'which Japan has opposed. Japan has persistently sought to compel Nanking to allow her to send troops against the Communists. The Eighth Army is already en|aged against the Japanese, but its effectiveness against a modern force , Jemains to be proved. THE FIGHTING AT SHANGHAI CHINESE ENTRENCHING ON 50-MILE FRONT JAPANESE WARSHIP REPORTED SUNK AT CANTON (PBESa ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, September 17. The Chinese Consul received the following cablegram from Nanking last night:— “With the Japanese engaged in Consolidating their new positions and the Chinese forces strongly entrenched along a 50-mile front, stretching from the Shanghai north station to Liuho, the fighting round Shanghai has been restricted to jninor skirmishes during the last 24 hours. “The Chinese are still holding the ISaingwan racecourse and the adntning regions, these being adVa.iced Chinese positions. ‘Yesterday morning the Japanese tvarships bombarded the forts on the ‘Canton river. The Chinese shore batteries replied to the fire, damaging two Japanese warships. Chinese aeroplanes assisted in the operations an d bombed the attacking vessels, ®ne of which was sunk.” CHINA’S APPEAL TO LEAGUE Advisory committee to sit NEXT WEEK LONDON, September 16. The League Council has referred y Chinese appeal to an advisory remittee, which has been convened “ iwaek.

JAPANESE DRIVE IN NORTH FIERCE RESISTANCE BY CHINESE REARGUARD ACTION TO COVER RETREAT LONDON, September 16. An overnight Chinese attack to drive a wedge in the Japanese front at Hongkew and capture the eastern wharves to prevent further landings, did not succeed. The Chinese conducted a sortie in unlighted streets and alleys. There was bitter fighting with machine-guns and trench-mortars, under which the Chinese retired to their original positions. The Japanese this morning began a major offensive against the Chinese on the Chsku plain, between the Peiping-Hankow and the TientsinPukow railways. They claim to have captured Paochow and other strategic points, in spite of a fierce resistance by ill-equipped Chinese. According to the Japanese, the slaughter was as heavy as at Nanyuan in the early days of the war. Japanese accounts state that their troops, in capturing Kuan, swam the Hun river till their engineers threw a pontoon bridge across. The Japanese further north forded the Hun river and captured the walled city of Changsintien. Others from Liang-siang overwhelmed the Chinese divisional headquarters at Fangshan. Japanese aeroplanes bombed Taiyuen and set fire to the arsenal and military depots. Others dropped pamphlets urging the Chinese irregulars not to fight. It is claimed that 250.000 rounds of ammunition and 5000 hand grenades were captured at Tatung. Retreating in Disorder The Peiping correspondent of the Exchange Agency states that, unable to resist the Japanese sweep from Liang-siang, eight Chinese divisions are retreating in disorder in the direction of Anting-fu. The Japanese have captured 100,000 square miles of territory in North China, mostly unsettled country. Desperately resisting overwhelming mechanised equipment, the Chinese, fighting in brilliant moonlight, failed to prevent the Japanese crossing the Chuma river. With a storm of machine-gun and rifle fire, the Japanese continued their southward advance on a 60-mile front in a rectangle bounded by the Hun river, the Peiping-Paoting-fu railway, and the Tientsin-Tsangchow railway lines, which were hitherto regarded as defensible flanks of the Chinese position. The Chinese, though destitute of mechanised weapons, are fighting a furious rearguard action to cover the retreat of the main body towards Paoting-fu. The Japanese bombed Canton from the air. It is believed that there were heavy native casualties. AEROPLANES TAKEN OFF SHIP CONSIGNMENT TO CHINA NOT ALLOWED SAN PEDRO, September 17. Sixteen aeroplanes consigned to China were unloaded from the Government-owned ship Wichita in pursuance of Mr Roosevelt s order that war material must not be taken to the Far East in United States Government ships. The Maritime Federation earlier prevented the refuelling of the Wi,.chita.