CHINESE ATTACK FAILS

Southland Times, Issue 23308, 18 September 1937, Page 7

CHINESE ATTACK FAILS

Major Japanese

Success

CAPTURE OF PAOCHOW CLAIMED

HEAVY SLAUGHTER REPORTED

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received September 17, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON. September 16.

An overnight Chinese attack to drive a wedge in the Japanese front at Hongkew and to recapture the eastern wharves in order to prevent further landings did not succeed. The Chinese made sorties in the unlighted streets and alleys, and there was bitter fighting, in which machine-guns and trench mortars were used, and the Chinese were forced to retire to their original positions.

The Japanese in the morning began a major offensive against the Chinese on Chsku Plain, between the PeipingHankow and Tientsin-Pukow railways, and claim to have captured Paochow and other strategic points despite fierce resistance of ill-equipped Chinese. According to the Japanese, the slaughter was as heavy as at Nanyuan in the early days of the war. The Japanese accounts say the troops capturing Kuan swam the Hun river till engineers threw a pontoon bridge across. The Japanese further north forded the Hun and captured the walled city of Kingsunchen. Others from Kiang-siang overwhelmed Fangshansuen, the Chinese divisional headquarters. Japanese aeroplanes bombed Taiyuna and set fire 'to an arsenal and military depots. Other planes dropped pamphlets urging the Chinese irregulars not to fight. It is claimed that 500,000 rounds of ammunition and 5000 hand grenades were captured at Tatung. The official figures of casualties in the international concessions, except Japanese, are 18 killed and 442 wounded by falling anti-aircraft shells, and 1600 killed and 1000 wounded by air bombs. Taking advantage of the Japanese permission, in view of the advance of winter, to recover articles of clothing from Hongkew, foreigners, who were forced to flee from there, philosophically returned under Japanese escort. Girls who wanted to recover goldfish and Scots who pleaded that whisky was winter clothing were disappointed, as were others who pleaded to be allowed to bring back grand pianos. Desperately resisting overwhelming mechanized equipment, the Chinese, fighting in brilliant moonlight, failed to prevent the Japanese crossing the Chuma river in the face of a storm of machine-gun and rifle fire in continuance of their southward advance on a 60-mile front in the rectangle bounded by the Hun river, the Peiping-Pao-tingfu railway, and the Tientsin-Tsang-chow railway, which lines were hitherto regarded as defensive flanks of the Chinese position. The Chinese, though destitute of mechanized weapons, are fighting a furious rearguard action to cover the retreat of the main body towards Paotingfu. The Exchange Agency’s Peiping correspondent says the Chinese are unable to resist the Japanese sweep from Liang-siang. Eight Chinese divisions are retiring in disorder in the direction of Antingfu. The Japanese captured 100,000 square miles of territory in North China, mostly unsettled. The Japanese bombed Canton from the air. It is believed that there were heavy native casualties. CHINA’S APPEAL TO LEAGUE , REFERRED TO COMMITTEE GENEVA, September 16. The League Council referred the Chinese appeal to an advisory committee, which has been convened for next week. , AEROPLANES FOR CHINA UNLOADED NO TRANSPORT IN STATE SHIP (Received September 17, 7.30 p.m.) SAN PEDRO, September 17. Sixteen aeroplanes consigned to China were unloaded from the Gov-ernment-owned ship Wichita in pursuance of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s order forbidding Government ships to transport arms and munitions to China or Japan. The Maritime Federation earlier prevented the refuelling of the Wichita.