Hankow, Feb. 12.
Failure of the so-called "winter offensive" and dejection over poor military supplies, coupled with the growing influence of the peace movement sponsored by Mr. Wang Ching-wei, were factors causing many Chi nese soldiers to surrender, according to feld reports reaching here. Group desertions were said becoming more frequent.
Japanese army authorities here said that 596 officers and men, including one company commander, belonging to the People's Self-Protection Corps, and 48 officers and men, including one company commander and one staff major, of the 42nd Regiment of the list Division, deserted and surrendered. to the Japanese south of Juichang, along the Kiukiang-Changsha Railway, on February 7.
Four Japanese detachments operating north of the Yangtze during the period from Tuesday to Friday launched furious attacks upon troops of the 56th Division in mountains near Loyangtien, 30 kin, south of Suihsien in Hupeh, and put them to route, The Chinese left 652 dead and large quantities of arms and ammunition.
South of the Yangtze a Japanese detachment defeated stragglers in a battle east of Juichang, south-west of Kiukiang in Kiangsi, at dawn on Wednesday.—Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.