With the main Chinese bodies retiring to prepared positions round Paotingfu, Chinese resistance in the past few days has been very slight. The Japanese vanguards have frequently engaged small guerilla forces firing from the cover of woods and millet fields, Japanese aerial reconnaissance reveals elaborate entrenchments a few miles ahead of the Japanese forces, but the airmen were unable to ascertain the number of Chinese troops there, owing to abundant cover available, Japanese aircraft bombed Paoting-fu shortly after dawn this morning. Japanese naval aircraft on two consecutive days bombed points along the Lunghai Railway, including Haichow, the railway's eastern terminus, the near-by harbour of Lienyuen, and Hsuchowfu, The Japanese military authorities here admit that one plane is missing following the first aerial battle in North China, on September 19, but claim that at least three Chinese bombers were shot down.
'A Japanese report from Tatung states that the battle began when nine Chinese bombers appeared over Huaijen, According to the report, 25 Japanese planes pursued the bombers to Taiyuanfu, where a number of Chinese fighting planes took to the air, and a second battle ensued—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.