Nanking, Nov, 22.
A Chinese pursuit plane was shot down; this afternoon when seven Chinese fighters went up to engage nine Japanese planes in the first aerial combat over Nanking since October 12, Two alarms this morning, the first at 7,50 and the second at 10,10, proved to be false, According to the official air-raid report, the first was a practice alarm instituted by the Chinese Government, while the second was due to the approach of eight. Japanese planes which turned back at Kuyung, east of the capital, At L30 p.m, however, the third alarm was followed by the drone of aeroplane engines as nine Japanese planes appeared, Seven Chinese fighters went up to engage the raiders, After a few minutes fighting over the centre of the city, one was seen to catch fre and hurtle to earth, falling into the grounds of the Central Military Academy, in the east quarter of the city, The pilot bailed out in his parachute, The remaining machines disappeared into the clouds,—Reuter, in the morning, among the places raided being Kiangyin, Wusih, Changchow, and Huchow. The Changchow-Chinkiang section of the Shankhai-Nanking railway was damaged at several points.
Japanese war vessels continued to shell Kiangyin and Lungshan on the northern shore of the Yangtze opposite Fushan. It was considered possible in Chinese circles that the Japanese might effect a landing at Lungshan with the apparent intention of breaking through the Kiangyin boom to outflank the Chinese positions, Meanwhile a new boom is being constructed in the vicinity of Chinkiang. About 120,000 men are also massing outside Nanking, making their preparations for a determined stand between Chinkiang and the apitol Several bridges on the motor road from Fushan to Kiangyin were destroyed by the Chinese. Fushan Forts were captured by the Japanese on Sunday morning. Several hundred Chinese defenders, including a gun crew, fell with the forts in a desperate attempt to stem the Japanese advance.
On the Chinese right wing, severe fighting was still raging on the southern shore of Taihu Lake. After
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