SHANGHAI BATTLE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 119, 16 November 1937, Page 9

SHANGHAI BATTLE

OBSERVER'S RECORD

ERRORS MADE BY DEFENCE

CHINESE WOUNDED

According to the Japanese Military Spokesman there are twenty-nine, Chinese divisions in the area between Soochow and Shanghai, wrote G. W> Woodhead from Shanghai to the ''Sydney Morning Herald" on October .2, their numbers being:— Ist 2nd, sth, 6th, 9tn, lith, 14th, 24th 27th, 32nd, 36th, 37th, 47th, 51st, 56th, 57th, 58th, 60th, 61st, 65th, 67th, 68th, 71st, 72nd, 78th, 87th, 88th, 90th, and 98th. Their total strength was over 300,000. ' The Japanese spent some weeks in landing reinforcements, munitions, Weapons, animals, .and supplies, and pushing forward and laterally in" an effort to establish themselves on a front 6f 'sufficient width and depth to render possible a "big push" against the Chinese positions.. Under continuous Japanese pressure the Chinese line Was withdrawn on September 1243 to a maximum depth Of five kilometres, enabling the Japanese to form a continuous front from Lotien—on the coast— to the Hongkew boundary of Shanghai, and to occupy the civic centre and the far Eastern Racecourse. Since then the Japanese have succeeded in making some propress towards Taitsang (Tazang) anrt Kiating, but they have had to fight every foot of the way. The Chinese have been subjected to terrific punishment from artillery fire (naval and land), aejial bombing, and machinegun fire. They have no organisation for supplying reserves to their divisions, so that the latter have had to be withdrawn and replaced by flew formations, after their losses have impaired their efficiency. The Japanese are believed to have landed about 120.000 troops, and reinforced their original • naval landing party until it now numbers between 10,000 and 12.000. They brought ashore large quantities" of heavy and light artillery, tanks, and armoured cars. Prom aerodromes hurriedly prepared at Yangtzepeo, and in Hcmgkew Park, and On TsUngfriing Island, as well asj from aircraft Carriers, and'even from advanced bases in Japan, scores of aeroplanes engaged in bombing and reconnaissance flights daily. There are believed to be about 150 military aircraft in the Shanghai r.egion, in addition to another 100 or so naval planes. BOMBING OF TOWNS. Nanking and Canton have been repeatedly raided, and enormous damage has been done. In some instances Japanese bombing hafe been accompanied by heavy casualties among the civilian population, though there is reason to believe that the figures give-i by Chinese sources, are exaggerated. Foreign Observers have, on the whole, been favourably impressed by the accuracy of Japanese bombing, and it may be doubted .whether the air at-, tacheg. of ..the loading foreign Governments consider that Japan has' exceeded what would be regarded as reasonable limits-^-in the absence of a code for aerial warfnre—in her attacks upon what are described as military objectives. Certain it is that according to European standards, Kanking, Canton,, and Hankow, would never be described as open or undefended cities, The hills i and even the walls surrounding Nanking have been -clo.sed;,to.,ciyilisns .forsome. years/past:, and:'bristle: with artillery and anti-air-craft defences. , Canton is , protected by the Bocca Tigris and other forts, and has several military aerodromes in the, vicinity. Hanyang, adjoining Hankow, is known chiefly for its arsenal, by far the largest in China. The charges that the Japanese have been deliberately bombing non-com-batants have not been proved, and it is doubtful whether they can be. The most notorious of the raids in -vhich this was alleged Was that on the South Station in Nantao, a Shanghai suburb. It was alleged that in this raid there were over 300 civilian casualties. The Chinese authorities maintained that all the victims were refugees, r.nd that no Chinese troops were stationed in Nantao. Yet. on September 28 the local evening paper printed a whole page of illustrations of sandbag emplacements on the river bank, £>nd in the , main . thoroughfares. Another example of the way in which news reaches the outside World is the alleged air raid on Wuhu, which was described as a peaceful, undefended city. A. few days later a Shanghai paper was informed by a Wuhu correspondent that the bombing planes had never been near the city itself, but had confined their activities to the aerodrome, some miles distant. A CHINESE ACCIDENT. It may be- doubted whether in the scores of raids conducted in North, Central, and South China, Japanese aircraft have caused many more civilian casualties than were caused by the Chinese planes that dropped bombs on the Settlement on-August 14 and 23. The tragedy On the latter date was inexcusable. The plane responsible, a converted passenger machine, apparently not equipped with proper -bomb racks or sights, dropped two 250 kilo bombs from a height at which aiming was impossible, and if the first had exploded hundreds of foreign . lives might have been lost in the central district. The other bomb caused over 770 casualties. The three catastrophes caused 4382 casualties. , Japanese raids on Chinese aerodromes have accounted for most of China's planes, which now never nppenr near Shanghai during daylight hours. A problem which caused considerable trouble and not a little ill-feeling has been that of dealing with Chinese wounded soldiers. When the Chinese launched their attack upon the Japanese in the Shanghai area no arrangements appear, to have been made for dealing with their wounded. They seem to have taken it for granted that they could be accommodated in the Settlement or the French Concession. Between five and six < thousand were actually brought in, representing units of no fewer than twenty divisions, when the discovery of cholera among them compelled the Foreign Municipalities to call a halt. They very naturally declined to have additional cholera hospitals in the foreign areas, and for some days the inflow of wounded ceased. Eventually an arrangement Was reached by Which the total would be restricted to 2000 in the Concession and 3000 in the Settlement, each newcomer having to undergo six days' quarantine before entering a military hospital. The wounded so far brought in probably number less than one-tenth of the Chinese casualties, and are mostly light cases, which lends colour to the persistent report that only soldiers who can pay one or two dollars for transport are conveyed into the Settlement and Concession. As soon as they are convalescent they are returned to their units through a Red Cross agency on the Settlement defence line. Inasmuch as the Chinese are constantly accusing the Jcipanese of using the Settlement as a base for military operations, this procedure is objected to by them. A movement is now afoot to remove all Chinese wounded to hospitals to be established behind the Chinese lines. This may be interpreted as an indication that the Chinese do

not expect to be able to hold on to their present positions very much longer, and are anxious to get as many Chinese doctors as possible out of the Settlement for service behind their new lines. [A cable message received since reports the Chinese withdrawal.] VALIANT CHINESE DEFENCE. The defence put Up by the Chinese forces in the Shanghai area has been obstinate and valiant. How much longer it can be sustained is open to' question. Some experts take the view that far too many troops have been packed into this sector, and that the incessant bombing of roads, railways, mechanical transport, and lines of communication by the Japanese aircraft is causing difficulties in feeding and munitioning the men, and will make it difficult if- not impossible for them to move, if a sudden retreat becomes necessary. Up to now China's deficiency in artillery has been offset by the advantage of fighting in prepared positions. Even what artillery she possesses has not been skilfully of intelligently used. An enterprising commander, with a few howitzers, which he could have moved under cover of darkness, could have made it impossible for any Japanese warship to remain in the river during the first few days of hostilities. The Chinese have done a good deal of chopping and changing in their local commands. The Shanghai forces for the first seven weeks were under the Command of General Chang Chichung, Dean of the Central Military Academy*. Then it Was stated that on account of sickness he had been superseded by General Chu Shao-liang, Who for some years has been Goveimor of Kahsu. His special qualifications for' So high a position after serving in an outlying province are not known.. The driving power behind the campaign is reported to be General Pai Chung'hsi, of KWangsi, who was probably mainly responsible for the decision to meet Japanese aggression by forcing an ! issue ih the Shanghai area.