NEARER HSUCHOW

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 May 1938, Page 9

NEARER HSUCHOW

JAPANESE BREACH, WALLS i CHINESE GENERALS KILLED [BY CABLE —PEEKS ASSH. —COPYEIGHT.] (Recd. May 19, 8 a.m.) SHANGHAI, May IS. Twenty-four hours of Japanese bomibardment from mountainous Pawang'shan, and seven westward, are claimed 'to have breached the western walls of Hsuchow. There was bitter fighting all night, when the Japanese advance guard encountered the Chinese at Yaolin, ten miles to the south west. Another Japanese force is attacking Woniushan immediately west of Hsuchow, wherefrom the Japanese admit, that Kaishek’s personal direction succeeded in extricating the best troops. The Japanese report that 100,000 Chinese have begun a general retreat southward' and south eastward, with the intention of taking up a line between Kweiteh and Chengchow. The Japanese estimate that a quarter of a million Chinese troops, mostly provincials, are still at Hsuchow, where confusion and terror reign. Japanese planes are dropping leaflets advising surrender. ' ’ According to the Japanese, the distinguished general, Litsungjen, commander at Hsuchow, will be tried for deserting his post by withdrawing an army of 400,000 to avoid encirclement. The Chinese authorities admit the gravity of the situation at Hsuchow, and heavy casualties, including generals Lipifan and Chowyuan, both killed, respectively the Hunan and Kwangsi commanders. The Japanese Foreign Office spokesman says that probably the next attack will be on Hankow. Twelve Japanese warships and seven transports' arrived south-west of Macao.

REPORTS OF MASSACRE. [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIBELESS] RUGBY, May 18. Mr. Butler, replying to a Commons question about the reported wholesale shooting of Chinese prisoners, and the machine-gunning of boats containing Chinese women and children at Amoy, said that he had no official reports that boats containing Chinese women and children were machine-gunned, but a number of Chinese soldiers were taken prisoner and shot on the Amoy Bund-He-added that the British Government could not too strongly deplore and condemn such a violation of the Hague Convention.