Two cases where small Japanese units operating in the vicinity of Lotien early last week were almost wiped out by overwhelming Chinese forces, were related by a\ Japanese military spokesman at a press conference yesterday morning.
A platoon of about 30 engineers managed to reach the neighbourhood of a bridge south of Lotien on August 23 without being detected by the Chinese, While they were resting near the bridge, they noticed a convoy of three Chinese trucks loaded with trench mortars approaching in their direction. The Japanese platoon attacked the nearing trucks with fixed bayonets and forced the convoy into) the creek.
Another group of five to six trucks, also loaded with ammunition wa then seen approaching. After bitter hand-to-hand fighting, these Chinese trucks were also wrecked. While this engagement was under way, Chinese) reinforcements estimated at 5,000 surrounded the handful of Japanese, the spokesman said.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.