Pootung Divisions Rushed to Reinforce Harassed Troops Meeting Surprise Attack Shanghai, Nov. 8. CONTINUING their swift advance from the coast, where they made three successful landings, Japanese forces yesterday were threatening Sungkiang from the south and south-east, and were pushing downriver along the Whangpoo, advance guards reaching as far as the ferry star tion on the Shanghai-Hangchow highway. Last night's Japanese army communique claimed that their units had crossed the Whangpoo at 6 p.m. on Saturday, after some fighting at Sungyin, seven les south of Sungkiang, and that they were advancing on the main Chinese stronghold.
Hastily summoned, the major portion of the Chinese troops in Pootung were marching sout toward cavy yesterday morning and by daylight only a few units were left across from Shanghai, as the main body were called on to reinforce Chinese positions both in the Soochow Creek area and in the surprised Sungkiang district, While Chinese officially stated that this movement from Pootung was a "transfer" and that other troops were being sent in to replace those withdrawn, independent observers last night were of the opinion that a complete withdrawal was in progress and that the remaining Chinese would be moved away to join their main forces on the Shanghai side of the Whangpoo River.
In the Soochow Creek area, the Japanese, pushing in from Dien Doo and Wuchiaso, "had reached the Monument and Pearce Roads junction early yesterday, while last night's communique from the Japanese ported the further capture of Tso. Ka Jao, from where they advanced toa line parallel to Lincoln Avenue, The direction of rife and small arms fire yesterday afternoon, in the direc tion of the British lines from far to the west, Indicated a considerable advance in the Monument Road area and that the Japanese had driven salient in past Chinese lines between the perimeter and Monument Road, Tate last night a huge fire Nghting:
the western area proved to be another 'Tung Wen College blaze, with the remaining buildings going in" flames, Early yesterday morning, at 4 o'clock, the' Chinese forces blew, up the railway bridge over the Siccawei 'Creek, a short distance west of Siccawei' station, Batteries Active Land Routes to Nanking Now Unsafe Shanghai, Nov.
With the Japanese advance from the coast towards Sungieiang, the last highways to remain open to Hangchow have now been oMeially declared unsafe. The only remaining land communlea~ tion with Nanking is now by secondary roads of a very doubtful nature' through 'Kashing and Soochow, roads not suitable to ordinary' traffic even in less trou= Blous times, It is not. known whether" Chinese military per mission would be given to travel~ Jers to go by these routes. The Shanghai-Hangchow Railway is expected to suspend passenger operation in view of the threat to Sungkiang. Only by water, river and coastal steamers, is passage
Mable to the capital now safe and re-
The Japanese batteries immediately orth of the Soochow Creek, near the Shanghai-Hangchow-Ningpo rail way, kept up a steady, at times fran-tio, bombardment of the Chinese posi tons south of the creek throughout yesterday. From. foreign houses in Rockhill' Avenue the bursts of shrapnel could be plainly observed some~ where behind Kwang Hwa Unive sity, with bright ashes and white clouds of smoke. Larye-calibre howitzers, blended their deep voices with the short detonations of treneh~ mortars, and machine-guns of vary-ug calibre kept up a continual tat, 'A short distance beyond the outpost of the British troops, "S 1" in Twekhill Avenue, Chinese soldiers and labour eorpsmen were still at viork dining trenches, Chinese soldiers. could: also be observed in Columbia Road, between Rockhill Avenue and Mungiao Road, There wax no aerial bombing of the sector yesterday.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.