Flying columns of Japanese infantry' driving through south-eastern "Hupeh Province toward Yochow already have shattered the first and second defence lines of Changsha, capital of Hunai reports from Domei correspondents ai the front claimed yesterday.
mechanized "column speeding! south from Tsungyang along the Lu River dispersed a. strong Chinese force armed with trench mortars and reached a position 16. kilometres south-west of the town at 6 am. on November Bitter ghting was being waged in this area' as the Japanese troops Maunched an assault on Chinese entrenched around Shihchengwan, the messages said.
'A dispatch from the Hupeh front relayed by Tokyo army authorities stated that the Mrst defence line for Changsha connecting Wuning, Siening and Kiayu was broken with the Japanese occupation of the latter two Towns, while the second line linking Siushul, Tsungyang and Puchi also ]was smashed when the Japanese took Puchi and Tsungyang.
'Wuning and Slushul on the Siu [River in' Kiangsi province still were in Chinese hands but have been isolated by the occupation of surrounding districts, according to th: Tokyo message.
Chinese troops were reported to bbe concentrating around Tungeheng, Jabout 40 kilometres south-west Tsung. yang, and at Yanglowsze on the Can-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.