Japanese pursuit planes speeding. towards Hankow ahead of the bombing aircraft, Chinese reports declare, were challenged by Chinese pursuit planes east of Hankow, The Japas nese bombers, it is stated, immediate" ly turned back without attempting to bomb their objectives here.
Simultaneously, Chinese pursuit planes were taking off fróm another aerodrome, the reports cour. tinue, and these intercepted the Japanese bombers at Kiukiang, bringing down three of them.
While Chinese official figures giv the number of Japanese planes ticipating in the raid as 36 pursuit "planes and 18 heavy bombers, me formation from independent sources indicates that the Japanese raiding squadron comprised 26 pursuit "planes and eight bombers.
According to Chinese official re~ ports, one Chinese machine wa damaged, but it is reliably lea that two Chinese machines crashed, one of the pilots landing safely by his parachute.
According to a. Japanese Communique last night, twenty Chi planes were shot down, while Japanese plane failed to return to its base.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.