Hankow's outer defence line was "definitely broken" yesterday as Japanese troops started to invade Honan province from Anhwei, according to press reports from Luan last night.
The reports said a Japanese column which drove westward from Luan occupied Yehkiatsi, border town between Anhwei and Honan on Thursday.
Japanese flying columns' were said to be pushing on westward from Yehkiatsi, which is six kilometres east of Kushih and 80 kilometres east of Shangcheng on the highway to Sinyang.
Meanwhile another Japanese detachment which drove Westward from Hwangmei in south-eastern Hupeh now is battering at/Kwangtsi, north of Wusueh on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, according to a message relayed from Tokyo.
Following the capture of Lichuang and Yangkiatang Japanese forces yesterday morning started a general assault on Mahweiling, 15 kilometres north of Tehan.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.