CHINESE SUCCESS

Grey River Argus, 6 October 1941, Page 2

CHINESE SUCCESS

In Hunan Province RETREAT OF JAPANESE. LONDON, October 2. The Chinese report gaining a great victory at Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, despatches saying tne Japanese suffered 79,500 casualties in the Hunan Province. A total oi 33 600 Japanese bodies were found on the battlefield. Only 796 Japanese officers were taken prisoner. Changsha stands on the railway between Canton and Peking, and its warehouses store vast quantities of rice. Two Japanese divisional commanders were killed, one committing hari-kiri. A rout of Japanese took place on Tuesday, prior to which a party of Japanese in civilian clothing penetrated the city, but were rounded up and annihilated. The Japanese meanwhile kept up an incessant bombardment. They never occupied the city. Chinese forces encircled five Japanese divisions, totalling about 100,000 men, and put them to flight. Yesterday, the Japanese were still in retreat. The London “Daily Mail” Hong Kong correspondent says: A Japanese offensive was launched a fortnight ago and two major enveloping movements began from Hankow and Canton with the object of seizing the Hankow-Canton railway and Changsha, the main Chinese base and communications centre. At least 100,000 Japanese advanced from Hankow, preceded by waves of bombers which caused enormous damage in Changsha. The Chinese commander, Genera] Hsueh Yueh, did not fall into the trap of dividing his forces. He withdrew his main army of 300,000 eight miles north of Changsha, where he outflanked the Japanese. After a forty-eight-hour i battle, the Japanese retreated, leaving 400,000 dead and wounded. General Hsueh Yueh claims that the I Japanese have been lured into a trap | and are now facing annihilation. He says that 50,000 Japanese are still encircled. Chinese guerrillas are now harrying the retreating Japanese and are taking heavy toll. The correspondent adds: China’s crushing victory in the Hunan Province dooms Japan’s immediate hopes of diverting her forces against the Soviet or to the southward. It gives renewed hope to China to fight on and it wil] help the Allies greatly in gaining time for preparations in the Pacific. For Japan, this defeat does not mean so much in men and material, which are heavy and whicl.

I will take much time to reorganise I as in the morale inside Japan. The Japanese people, taxed and sacrificing almost past endurance, have been murmering and militarists have hoped that this new offensive might end the war. Increased supplies for China via the Burma Road will probably result from Anglo-American talks, which will start soon in Manila. The British Commander-in-Chief (Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham) has arrived at Manila from Singapore, and a United States mission on its way to Chungking has also arrived in the Philippines. The Japanese submarine 161 sank in a collision with a surface craft during manoeuvres off Kiushu. The Navy has announced that some members of the crew were saved. Rescue efforts are proceeding. JAPANESE REPORTS. LONDON, October 5 The Shanghai correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain states that the Japanese Army claims that a new drive in the Hunan Province has reached within six miles of the vital railway junction of Cheng-chow and smashed the Chinese Ninety-eighth Army. The Chinese lost 200 killed, including the commander, General Wu Shimin and 5000 captured. The way is now open for the occupation of Cheng-chow. Japanese forces to-day seized and occupied warehouses, office buildings, and stores near the docks at Saigon. After a discussion with the French authorities, the buildings were surrendered to the Japanese in order to save damage to the large stocks of goods. The Japanese are expected to use the stores for military equipment. Pressure is also being brought to bear on the Vichy authorities to give the Japanese access to the oil reserves of three foreign companies. Japanese spokesmen in both Tokio and Australia said to-day that talks were still continuing between Japan and the United States. RUGBY. October 3. i British newspapers 'display considerable interest in reports of the big Chinese successes in the region • of Changsha, from which town the ; Japanese now,admit that their forces . have withdrawn. Competent observi ers express the opinion that the Jap- ! anese offensive against the Chinese in Honan is designed more to relieve the pressure on the troops defeated at Changsha, than the semi-official statement, that it is part of the same campaign to obtain possession of the Hankow-Canton railway. JAPANESE CLAIM NEW YORK, October 4. The Shanghai correspondent of the Associated Press of America states: The 'Japanese claimed to have occupied Chengchow. JAPAN COUNTERED BRITISH INFLUENCE IN THAILAND (Rec. 7.30) LONDON, October 4. The British Associated Press S'aigon correspondent states: There are indications that Japan is increasing diplomatic pressure on Thailand. Japanese quarters in Saigon state frankly that an agreement with Thailand is one of the most important objectives of Japan’s southward march. It .is hoped to achieve this in a peaceful manner. The J'apanese in Indo-China to-day began military manoeuvres. It was disclosed that troops, tanks and other equipment sufficient for a full-scale campaign were engaged. TOKIO, October 4. The paper ‘Asahi’s” Bangkok correspondent states: Thailand is fast asuming a pro-British colour, because of the British political machinations there, with the result that there is occurring intensified friction and strife between the cuontry’s pro-Bri-tish and pro-Japanese elements. JAPANESE OBJECTION. TO ANGLO-RUSSIAN EMBASSIES’ WAR REPORTS. (Rec. 11.40). TOKIO, October 5. The British Associated Press Tokio correspondent says: Although the I

Japanese authorities have asked the Embassies to refrain from mailing news bulletins, the British Embassy intends to continue the circulation of its daily summary of war news bv private messenger. The Russian

Embassy said it intended to continue to mail bulletins. The Herald-Tribune’s Tokio correspondent says: “Japan has broken off diplomatic relations with,, tne Polish Government in London.”