Hankow, May 11.
With the arrival of reinforcements, the Chinese have launched a Vigorous attack in. an attempt to halt the Japanese advance on Kweiteh, on the Lunghai Railway about 100 miles west of Hsuchowfu At present the Japanese are march? ing on the city from the north-east and the south-east.
The attention of the Chinese is at present concentrated on the column advancing: north-westward along the Ko River towards Kweiteh.
While one Chinese detachment is engaging the Japanese in the southwaen outskirts of Mengchen, about 45 miles north-west of Pengpu, another force west of Pengpu is said to be advancing northward in an effort to strike at the Japanese flank between Mengchen and Hwaiyuan.
The Japanese forces pushing southwestward on Kweiteh are stated to be divided into three columns. The nin body. reported to be marching athwart from Tsining towards Yui-tai, is at present engaged about 15 kilometres south of Tsining; another column, striking from Wenshan, west of Yenehowfu, towards Yunchen, has reached the south-eastern outskirts of their objective; while the third column is heading towards Chuyai, Meanwhile, the Chinese ¢laim that Chinese forces are still holding out at Mengchen, which, the, Japanese claim to have captured. "They base their claim on Chinese despatches received on Monday.—Reuter.
Japanese, The first action, according to Chinese reports, took place at dawn, when a bombing squadron raided a concentration of Japanese warships at Tungkawan, one of which is alleged to have been seriously damaged.
Later, another squadron visited the recently constructed Japanese aerodrome on an island near Chungshan, where, the Chinese ' claim, blahes in hangars and at the aerodrome were badly damaged while a gasoline depot was blown up.
The third and most exciting action occurred at 10,45, when five Japanese bombers appeared over the city and were attacked by a number of (Chinese machines, Considerably; outnumbered the japanese raiders made off, pursued by the Chinese, who later claimed ihat (we Japanese machines were brought down, Chinese quarters in Canton are extremely elated over what they describe as a.very successful display by the new machines. They are, however, reluctant to discuss the whereabouts of the new aerial headquarters or the type of planes used.
Five Japanese Planes Downed, "We will do our utmost to destroy all Japanese naval, air and military bases in South China," said the Chinese spokesman in an interview regarding the activities today of the reorganized Canton air force, which, he added, were "thoroughly successful."
Ty was learned that altogether five Japanese machines were brought down today by fast Chinese planes, which arrived here recently.
Two machines were stated to have been shot down near-Canton after this morning's air-raid on the city. Three more were reported to have been destroyed when a squadron of Chinese pur: tit craft encountered 14 Japanese bombers in the vicinity of Chungshan this morning.—Reuter
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.