JAPANESE AIR RAID

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22390, 2 May 1938, Page 9

JAPANESE AIR RAID

MANY KILLED AT HANKOW

CHINESE REPULSE INVADERS

(UNITED PHESS ASSOCIATION —COPTBIQHT.) (Received May 1, 8 p.m.) HANKOW, April 29. Nearly 1000 persons were killed and wounded in the Hanyang suburb of Hankow through a Japanese air raid, staged to mark the Japanese Emperor’s birthday. The Chinese anticipated the raid, which culminated in a spectacular air battle between 50 Chinese and 39 Japanese aeroplanes. The Chinese lost three machines and the Japanese 20. , ~ , , The Japanese air raiders objective was the Hanyang arsenal, which is China’s biggest, but it entirely escaped serious damage. The populace cheered the fall of flaming Japanese aeroplanes, but owing to the release of a chain of bombs right across the city a halfmile section is full of dead and wounded and is a scene of mournHouscs collapsed like cards, burying the occupants under tons of debris. Thirty charred, unidentifiable bodies were recovered from a single shop. A Tokyo message states that in celebration of his thirty-seventh birthday the Emperor has reduced or cancelled the sentences on 319 prisoners, including a judge and an armv surgeon involved in the attempted coup of 1936. This is additional to the general amnesty of February 11.

TOWN CHANGES HANDS TWICE

tangcheng now held by

JAPANESE

(Received May 1, 8.30 p.m.)

HANKOW, May I

The Japanese recaptured Tangcheng, which has changed hands twice in 12 hours. The Chinese twice raided the Japanese aerodrome. and claim to have destroyed 21 aeroplanes. According to sn earlier x'cport Ine Chinese claimed that in a counterattack they recaptured Tangcheng, arrested the Japanese drive to Lunghai, and also repulsed the Japanese counter-attack on Yihsien.