FALL OF NANKING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 215, 25 August 1927, Page 5

FALL OF NANKING

MOMENTARILY EXPECTED. BATTLE IMPENDING AT HANGCHOW. (Received 25, 11.20 a m.) Shanghai. August 24. An attempt by the Northerners to cross the Yangtsze and take Naning is expected at nnv moment. Marshal Sun Chun-fang’s army of 80,000. including a Russian armoured train division, is almost totally concentrated at Pukow. facing Nanking. from where Russians are daily bombarding Nanking without reply The Nanking railway station is daily the target for the Pukow artillery their purpose being to cripple the Southerners’ means of retreat >y railway to Shanghai. Five trainloads of Southerners arrived at Shanghai from Nanking, and have been transferred to Hang, chow in expectation of a coup d’etat against the Southerners thure. It is believed the Nanking Government has agreed to hand over the defence of Nanking to the Hankow fences, which recently arrived in large numbers, and will themselves retire en bloc to Hangchow.—(A. and N.Z.) STEAMER UNDER FIRE. THE WOODLARK TAKES A HAND. (Received 25. 8.5 a.m.) Shanghai, Aug. 24. Advice has been received that a Nanking passenger steamer was fired on by troops from the river bank. She then returned to Hoogchee and was later escorted by the gunboat Woodlark but was again fired on. The Woodlark returned the fire and engaged the enemy with 12-pounders and machine-guss. The casualties are unknown.