Sixty Bombs Dropped Despite Anti-Aircraft Defence Hankow, Jan. 27.
About ien Japanese aeroplanes d visited the Wuhan area shortly after j mine o'clock this morning and dropped about sixty bombs on the air field at Hankow and a smaller number in Hanyang, in the vicinity of the arsenal.
A Ford plane on the Hankow alr eld, which, Chinese quarters state, had "previously been- damaged, was Completely wrecked. "This, according to official Chinese quarters, was the only damage done. d Chinese anti-aircraft guns kept the n visitors at a fair height and forced them to break formation for the sake 4 of safety. The Japánese have not done this in any previous raids on Hankow.
The first batch of six planes split up into two groups of three after j bombing the air field. One squadron turned northward towards the Peiping-Hankow Railway, and the. other southward towards Chiaokow, eight miles up the Han River, where the 1 Yee Tsoong Tobacco Ca. have a large cigarette factory.
Both squadrons then returned and were joined by more planes, but the anti-aircraft fire was so intense and dangerously close that the raiders split up into ones and twos. They then flew to Hangkang and unloaded bombs which, from a distance, appeared to fall on the side of a hill im the open country.
1 The third Wuhan city, Wuchang, was apparently ignored, Chinee Losses Chinese circles here admit that the Chinese lost two aeroplanes in yesterday's raid on Nanking. One was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, and another brought down near' the capital, while a third bomber made a forced landing at Anking, capita! of Anhwei, because of engine trouble. Repairs were made and this plane returned to its base to-day.
Chinese reports claim that thirty Japanese planes were destroyed on the ground during the attack on the aerodrome, Tt is also claimed that Chinese aircraft made three raids yesterday on Wuhu, bombing the Japanese aerodrome arid also Japanese positions between Wuhu and Lukang, to the east of Wuhu, The Chinese aircraft are also stated to have given valuable 1 support to the Chinese troops operatd ing east of Wuhu.
Chinese despatches received here to-day assert that the Japanese forces are using one division of troops for pes Give westward towards ' Hofei (Luchowfu), in North Anhwei—Reuter.
Japanese Claims In early morning raids on the Hankow and Nanchang aerodromes, Jepanese naval aircraft yesterday brought down or damaged fourteen Chinese machines, a Japanese naval spokesman. announced last night. A while all Japanese machines returned to their respective bases, several men aboard were wounded in these q two actions, he said.
Seven Chinese pursuit machines of the Soviet 1-16 type were shot down over Nanchang, the spokesman stated. About seven more Chinese machines were aloft at the time of the encounter, In addition, three grounded machines and two hangars were set on fire and destroyed by bombs, he 4 further claimed.
At the Hankow airfield, one large-sized. bomber, a medium-sized I machine and two smaller craft were bombed and seton fire m addition to one hangar.
Amoy Air-Raid. f Hongkong, Jan. 27.
According to reports from Amoy yesterday morning four Japanese aeroplanes dropped nine bombs over the. city, one of which struck a Chinese hotel and killed many oc-3 Cupants. This afternoon four aeroplanes again flew over Amoy, en route to Feichen, and dropped twelve bombs killing and wounding a num-ker of Chinese civilians—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.