JAPANESE OFFENSIVE.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13639, 25 August 1937, Page 5

JAPANESE OFFENSIVE.

LARGE SCALE OPERATIONS. AGAINST CHINESE FORCES. United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. SHANGHAI August 24. The Japanese this morning opened a general land, sea. and air attack, especially on Woosung. The Chinese forces are stubbornly resisting. The fiercest fighting occurred at the Settlement on the boundary, the salient of which the Japanese have strongly fortified and hoj>e ix> smash through. The British United Press correspondent states that a small force of Japanese were bayonetted on the beach at Ruiho, south of the month of the Whangpoo. The Japanese claim another success at Woosung and are at present advancing on the Oliapei power station. The Chinese assert that they wiped out a Japanese, division landing at Woosung last night. The Ic’umo led off at dawn bombarding Pootung, where immense fires were soon raging in the Chinese warehouses. The Chinese artillery from started fresh fires in the rich Japanese business quarter of the Settlement. Admiral Hasegawa announced that no Japanese guns were firing at tlie time of Sincere’s disaster. A Japanese destroyer is reported to have been sunk and a gunboat disabled by Chinese projectiles during yesterday’s Woosung landing, which the Japanese claim they largely prevented . The Japanese deny that any of their warships are disabled. A Tientsin message says foreign observers estimate that there are hetween 80.000 and 100,000 Japanese troops in North China. HONGKONG, August 24 The cholera epidemic has seriously increased in the past week with 369 oases and 162 deaths. This is nearly twice the previous week’s total. The Japanese announce the capture of Nankow Pass, the key to the Chaliar Province*. According to the Miehi Shimbun, the War Minister. Mr Sugiyama, told a conference of parties that Japan would seek the speediest decision and would not play into* China’s hands with a, protracted war.