Another Japanese Drive in China

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 211, 6 September 1944, Page 6

Another Japanese Drive in China

CHUNGKING, Sept. 4. The Japanese fresh drive in Southern Hunan striking southwestwards of Hengyang has reached a point 20 miles from the important town of Kiyang, less than 50 miles from Lungling near the Kwangsi border. The Chinese High Command reported that severe fighting is raging. Some observers believe the push may be aimed at Kwelilin and if successful would nullify the Chinese hold on the remaining stretch of the CantonHankow railway between Hengyang and the Japanese forward elements in tjie Kwangtung Province. The Chinese repulsed a Japanese attempt to cross the Wu River southwards of Lishui. A thousand Japanese were killed in the past four days unsuccessfully attempting to relieve their garrison in Lungling and attempting to capture the Burma Road heights northeast of Mangshih, says a Chinese communique. General Stilwell, in a communique, reported that the Chinese occupying enemy strongpoints in Tengchung found the first cases of Japanese suicides on the Salween front. One Japanese shot himself and another hanged himself as the Chinese stormed through the breaches blown in the city walls by American airmen. General Stilwell’s communique says that further reports on the Takoa (Formosa) harbour raid on Thursday show that two 10,000-ton freighters and one smaller freighter were sunk. Liberators on Friday sank a small freighter, damaged a small tanker and probably sank a small submarine south of Hongkong. Liberators on Friday night bombed the Tienho and White Cloud aerodromes near Canton, also the Kaitak aerodrome and Kowloon wharves. Liberators and fighters made widespread attacks on aerodromes, troops, depots, bridges and transports in the Hengyang and Yangtse areas.