Chungking, Dec. 2.
Military observers believe that one of the main reasons for the alleged slowing down of the Japanese oint sive to the south of Yochow, on the Canton-Hankow Railway, about 100 miles 4e the south of Hankow, and Tungchen, on the Hupeh-Hunan highway, is lack of communication lines.
When the Japanese forces pushed southwards from Hankow, it is stated, the Japanese column operating along the railway always maintained contact with the Japanese column on) the highway by two roads.
One of these connects the railway at Sienning with the highway at Nanlinchiao; to the south-west of Tungshan.
The.other road connects the railway at Taolichiao, to the south of Puchi, with the highway at Tsung-yang, north of Tungchen.
As soon as the Japanese reached Yochow, on the railway, (and Tung-chen, on the highway, Chinese reports state, the two columns had to operate separately, with no communication lines available.
It is understood that the Japanese are now rushing the construction of a new military road connecting Yochow with Tungehen, via Taolin and Kuochengshih.
The Japanese -Forces Japanese forces at present operating in the Yangtze valley total approximately fifteen divisions or 300,000 men, while Japanese aircraft in China total over 1,200 aeroplanes, according to information received by military experts here.
The distribution of Japanese troop: in the Yangtze valley is estimated to be as follows:
(1) Six divisions on the south bank of the Yangtze river, distributed from Tehan, on the Kiukiang-Nanchang Railway, to Yochow, on the east bank of Tungting Lake; (2) Eight divisions on the north bank of the Yangtze river, distributed from Anking, the capital of Anhwei province, to Yingchen, north-west of Hankow, and also Sinyang, on the Peiping-Hankow Railway, north of Hankow; and (8) One division distributed in the Nanking-Wuhu area.
Up until last January, it is estimated the Japánese employed 800 aeroplanes in operations in China However, this number is said to have been increased at present to over 1,200 machines, of which at least 600 are being used in Central China.
Pursuit Machines Used Meanwhile, aviation circles attach particular interest to the performance of the American Seversky two-seater pursuit planes, which the Japanese used recently in raiding Hengyang, an important Chinese base in South Hunan province.
Hitherto Japanese bombers have been raiding cities in the interior without the escort of pursuit planes, owing to the long distances.
As the Seversky two-seater pursuits are half-pursuits and half-bomber type of aircraft, the Japanese recently sent them to accompany bombers in raiding Hengyang.
The Chinese are watching with keen interest the results of future aerial combats between Chinese single-seat pursuit planes and Japanese two-seater pursuit machines. Reuter, Fresh Operations Prepared Deployed along a 270-kilometre front "extending from the eastern shore of Tungting Lake to the western bank of Lake Poyang, Japanese troops were straddling the Hunan-Kiangsi border in preparation for fresh operations towards the south, a Japanese military spokesman in Shanghai claimed last night.
From Huangshikai, on the Canton-Hankow Railway 40 kilometres south of Yochow, the Japanese lines, he said, extended through the Kuloshan mountain range to Sunkiapu om the Kiukiang-Nanchang railway, 50 kilometres north of the Kiangsi capital.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.