Artillery in Action

Horowhenua Chronicle, 2 February 1932, Page 7

Artillery in Action

MARTIAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL SIiTTL^MENT' (CHINA’S CRACK TROOPS. REACH NANKING San Francisco Press Broadcast. SHANGHAI, FeK 1. Fierce fighting broke out again in the northern districts of; the city shortly after midnight to-day. It began with desultory rifle fire, which grew heavy and was followed by bursts of machine-gun fire. It ■ sbtifided like as though ¥ fielfrgun ha d 'been brought up, and -bhi shfeU fired from somewhere ' 1 carae '*Oyer' the AatOr Hotie in the*' IntOi*--national Settlement aind finished in fte Whangpoo liver. It was thought that two Japanese gunboats fa-rther up* the xiver, off the *Japanese Consulate, returned the fire, but this «ould not be verified immediately. It determine whether the heavier guns 1 vrere Chinese or Japanese, or **'. , , ’ '

whether the Chinese are to the north of the Settlement, or eastward of that area.

The firing livened rapidly and was taken up in Hong Kew, another Chinese area and advanced southward as far as Soochow Creek, where Japanese machinegunners and riflemen went into action.

A Japanese warship in the harbour opened up with ma-chine-guns on the garden bridge connecting the Kong Kew district with the International Settlement, and killed three Chinese scurrying across it. While all this was going on a thick fog came, down over the city, hiaking it even more difficult to discover what was happening.

Four American destroyers, steaming under forced draught from Manila, were ex'pected here about 6 a.m. to-day. They had been expected last night. The Paul Jones, Parrott, Edsall and Bulmer are in the flotilla, but one of them, soon after reaching here and taking aboard fuel, will proceed to Hankow, where there are numbers of American residents and considerable American property. United States marines have arrested twenty-seven Japanese “volunteer reservists” in the American area of the International Settlement, where great numbers of Japanese continue pursuit of Chinese refugees and snipers. At least two foreigners were reported to have been injured when they attempted to Interfere with their operations. Martial law will become effective, in the "international Settlement at 10 p.m. to-day, the Settlement authorities announced. After that hour and untilV further notice civilians will not be allowed on the streets between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. At all other times during the day and night all persons will be required* to possess passes * bearing the owner’s lihotograph and to exhibit those passes on demand. This extraordinary action was taken in' the " belief that the situation within the Settlement was growing more serious and

that additional steps for the protection of foreign residents were imperative.

Thirty thousand, national guardsmen, the finest troops in all China,, streamed into Nanking- to-day from Honan province. This crack division, equipped with German automatic rifles and clad in smart green uniforms, will be stationed there in order to defend the city in case of a Japanese attack, it was announced, although there were reports it might be destined for service in Shanghai.