REDS BREAK THROUGH CHINESE LINES NORTH OF NANKING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22818, 13 December 1948, Page 5

REDS BREAK THROUGH CHINESE LINES NORTH OF NANKING

(N.Z.P.A. — Reuter— CopyriaV. l (10.45 a.m.) ' NANKING, Dec. 12. The Communist forces today broke through the Government defences south of Lake Hungtze, in East Anhwei province, and attacked the railway between Pukow and Pengpu, only 45 miles north-west of Nanking.

The Nationalists are rushing reinforcements to the area, where fierce fighting is going on.

The Communists late this afternoon were still holding positions astride the line, and all rail traffic between Pengpu and Pukow is again suspended for the second time in four days.

Supplies Dropped by Air The Nationalist Air Force is making 50 flights daily to drop supplies to the encircled Nationalist armies from Hsuchow. now stationary in the Kiangsu-Anhwei-Honan border region. Nationalist relief columns from the south-east are now claimed to be within 20 miles of the encircled armies. The New York Times correspondent in Nanking quotes usually reliable sources as saying that air reconnaissance revealed the disappearance of the Nationalist 16th Army group under General Sun Yuan Liang from the point south-west of Hsuchow. Some elements of the group, which originally contained 40.000 men, are believed to have surrendered to the Reds earlier. Nationalists Withdraw A message from Tientsin reports that the Nationalist garrison was withdrawn from Tongshan, a mining centre, today and the Communists moved in. About 20 Britons, including three wives and a few hospital nurses, were among the mining administration staff at Tongshan. Reuter’s correspondent in Shanghai says the premier-designate, Dr. Sun Fo, returned to Nanking from Shanghai after failing to form a new Cabinet. China's political leaders are reported to be unable to agree whether the policy of the new Government should be to seek a settlement with the Communists or place the nation on a total war basis for an intensified campaign against the Communists.