SHANGHAI BATTLE REACHING CLIMAX

Northern Advocate, 21 May 1949, Page 5

SHANGHAI BATTLE REACHING CLIMAX

SHANGHAI, Fri. (12.30 p.m.).—Optimistic communiques notwithstanding, the battle for Shanghai was generally believed today to be moving towards a climax, amid rising tension and indescribable confusion in China’s commercial capital. With the city’s nerve centre—the Bund area—paralysed by a stringent blockade business is at a complete standstill, while housewives confront empty stalls in the food markets.

The latest official communique indicated that the Red pincers, converging on the mouth of the harbour at Woosung, were only five miles apart, but said crack Nationalist units, fighting with their backs to the city’s lifeline —the Whangpoo River—succeeded today in preventing further construction of the Red steel cordon round the metropolis. The Nationalist defenders were still holding the Communist attackers west of Woosung and east of Shanghai, in the Pootung district, said the communique. HAND-TO-HAND FIGHTING. Police authorities, however, admitted that Communist forces at Pootung were sweeping unopposed to the eastern bank of the Whangpoo. Communists today again used humansea tactics in then latest attempt, to crack the Woosung defences,' but the Nationalists repulsed the attacking waves m a battle that lasted three hours and involved bitter hand-to-hand fighting, both sides freely using grenades and bayonets. In a review of naval operations, a Nationalist Navy spokesman estimated that more than 15.000 Communist troops bad been killed by naval gunfire in the past week, when warships helped to smash Red attacks on the Woosung-Pootung front. The military blockade of the Bund—officially stated to be due to "the close proximity to the battlefront”—caused unprecedented traffic jams in downtown Shanghai all day, with pedestrians, motor cars and man-powered vehicles clogging all side streets. traffic Tangle. Siren screeching ambulances, with wounded Nationalist troops, had to weave a way through a tangled, mass Of vehicles, but along the deserted Bund lorries, with troops, roared north c south without hindrance. A special committee is being formed in Shanghai comprising representatives of the various consulates and communities to work with the police to maintain law and order. Particular attention will be paid to the protection of foreign lives and property. Mirroring the critical local situation, the gold yuan went into another, tailspin today, with the silver dollar fetching 24,000,000 in the open market against 16.000,000 yesterday. The little rice available for purchase was quoted at 216,000,000 gold yuan per picul of 1701 b, compared with 153,000,000 yesterday.

The United Press correspondent says the Nationalists appear to be ready to abandon defence positions across the Whangpoo River from Shanghai. This will put the city at the mercy of Communist artillery, which is reported to be already in position for heavy bombardment of Shanghai. Thus far, however, only a few shells have landed in the city. The Associated Press correspondent reports huge fires are raging east of the Whangpoo River, in the Pootung waterfront district.

They apparently have been set alight by shelling and Nationalist demolitions, and stretch over about five miles.