SOUTH CHINA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 119, 23 May 1942, Page 5

SOUTH CHINA

JAPANESE SURPRISE LANDING OFFENSIVE AT FOOCHOW . (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright- c London, May 21. q Heavy fighting has broken out on 0 => the South China coast just below t the port of Foochow, in Fukien | t province. j. A Chungking communique says that o ' a score of Japanese warships, laden F • with troops, suddenly appeared off the ; mouth of the Min River yesterday t . morning. Under cover of a barrage, i L the troops landed on the northern f bank of the river. v ? Severe fighting is now in progress, p Foochow, the capital of Fukien pro- cl . vince, has already changed hands r f twice since Japan attacked China, v The Japanese occupied it in April of e ' last year but were flung out again last . September. Earlier to-day the Chungking ' spokesman said that in the eastern Chinese province of Chekiang four “ Japanese columns, totalling about ’ 80,000 men. were converging on the J capital, Kinhwo. They were still about } 50 miles distant from the city. Concentration in Kiangsi. In the neighbouring province of c - Kiangsi the Japanese are said to be v i concentrating 30,000 troops at Nan- £ • chang, the capital. The spokesman i interpreted this latest Japanese I move as a possible .attempt to occupy the roads and railway linking the two p, provinces and so threaten the Chinese rear at Kinhwo. j; A Chungking message to-night says jthere have been two heavy air raids ( on Hengyang, an important town on j, ■ the Hankow-Canton railway. Many ’ bombs fell in the heart of the town. 1 Chungking also reports that in the f ■ past 48 hours two towns iii Chekiang t 1 province have been bombed by the r ' Japanese. The names of the towns s are not revealed. v GROWING PRESSURE v g ATTACKS BY ALLIES Rugby, May 21. A review of the activities of the Allied forces in Burma received from • Calcutta shows an increase in the at- - tacks on the Japanese in the first half 5 of this month. An average of two ■ attacks daily was made on aerol dromes, transport, and troops, and the enemy supply must have been serious- ■ ly disturbed. T ■ *ln the most successful attack on K river transport six barges were hit and S probably destroyed at Monywa, on e the Chindwin River. Magwe and r Akyab aerodromes have been re- J peatedly bombed. The Americans bombed the Rangoon docks and Mingaladon aero- b drome. yA feature of the fighting was the ■ Japanese use of night fighters, which ; meT with no success in the encounters with the Americans.—B.O.W. NEW HEADQUARTERS 1 (Recd 9.10 p.m.) Chungking, May 21 General Stillwell’s headquarters will be established somewhere near the boundary of the inner section between z Burma, India and China. The news- t paper Takung said the necessary per- a sonnel is proceeding to the new head- 0 quarters by air from China ..nd India, and all Chinese technical and d transportation staffs heretofore oper- p ating in Burma will be withdrawn to h India. s ] JAP. SHIP BLOWN UP J ' . (Recd. 11 p.m.) Washington, May 21 i The Chungking official radio said a : Japanese steamship headed v"stream r in the Yangtze River struck a mine 1 1 and blew up. JAPANESE SEARCH AMERICAN BOMBER BASES 1(Recd. 11 p.m.) New York, May 22. jj Jie Chungking correspondent of |] the New York .Times expresses the 0 opinion that the present Japanese v • drive on Chekiang aims to destroy • possible springboards for Allied air n 1 attacks against Japan. He says the a 1 Japanese have made 22 raids, using 1 554 planes, since April 18, searching for fields where the American bombers landed after bombing Tokio. They have now resorted to a land campaign, employing an advance force of 20,000 to 30,000 men, who will carry out a fan-like attack on • Chekiang from the base at Henchow. ’ The correspondent explains that ' subsidiary motives for the attack 1 against Chekiang arc an effort to ’ blockade China and also to eliminate ■ guerrillas, who are increasingly endangering the Japanese position. c tl