VENTS moved rapidly towards Shanghai, Oct. 27. a climax in the hostilities around Shanghai yesterday, as Japan's troops gained further important successes in their concerted drive on the Chinese lines which began on Saturday, Embattled Tazang fell at last when the Japanese outflanked the Chinese with a swift encircling movement which brought them south of the town, behind then opponents' bitterly held lines.
Miaohangchen was given up, and in the Kiangwan areas, shortening their lines, the Chinese dropped back to the railway line, Late last night, with a huge fire burning just to the north of the North Station railway yards, and grim fighting only too audible from the North Station to the Commercial Press building, the feeling gained strength among observers in Shanghai that if an evacuation of Chapei was not being carried out it would be very shortly, Chinese" spokesmen yesterday were insistent that no evacuation was contemplated but as the fighting approached the Chenju Station on the Shanghai-Nanking Railway the threat of being bottled up next to the Settlement became very grave, 'Japanese, reports yesterday announced the capture of the Chenju Radio Station, where shelling could be seen up to 3 pam. They also announced that, at' dawn, a flying column had reached the ' north em= Dankment of the Shanghai-Nanking Railway tine, with the intention of cutting the railway and preventing riy retreat in that direction, Additional Japanese forces were sold to have driven their way to a point only 200 metres from Nanziang. self, This important station on the railway is one of the key points the Chinese second line of defence, This advance was reported to have been made along the south side of the Nanziang-Tazang highway.
Tozang's Fall Tazang fell when the Japanese drove a wedge through the centre of the Chinese defence lines, carrying on towards the south to Yaochal, a vistanee of 1,500 metres, In. close co-operation 'a strong force, having taken Wangehiache ud Changehe, Grove eastward to well south of the village. "Other units, "in Tazang, self, captured the western and eastern parts of the town to. complete its occupation. The Japanese claim to have reached the Tsoumatang Creek In this area Japanese forces operating around Chenju are reported to have taken Chinchie, 100 metres south of the radio station and Sanehili, on the western side of the Tazing-Yangchialelang highway. This force was said by the military spokesman to be within 2,000 metres north of the Chenju Railway station, Near Nanziang, their units were 800 metres from Hsiao Nanziang. bout 800 metres north-east of Nan= along, and additional troops had reached Kochiakou, 200 metres from Nanziang Itself,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.