Nanking, Feb. 2.
(ConMINamNG a tiv e-day drive along the entire Anhwei front, Japanese troops this morning in quick succession occupied the Chinese strongholds at Fengyang, Tingyuan and Pengpu.
"Tingyuan-was the first to fall before the Japanese onslaught al 9.o'elock this morning, Two hours later, units occupied Fengyang, following on all-morning engagement. "An attack on the town walls was. opened at 10.30 o'clock in the morling, and half an hour later. the Rising Sun flag fluttered from the town gates. At 140. olelock, the: Japanese troops entered East Fengyang and swing following the occupation of the exactly an hour later West Feng-'Mingkwan sector, according to Chi-yang was cleared of Chinese troops. hose reports received here to-day. 'The attack on Pengpu. the key to 'Supported by artillery and acro-Hsuchow, the present objective of the planes, which are subjecting the Chi-Japanese' Army, was launched al hose positions to-a severe battering, dawn today by the right wing of the Japanese forces are said tobe the Japanese force marching north-vigorously pushing northward. ward.from the Yangtze River. Fol-'The Chinese have already destroy da lowing an extremely severe. battle, the railway bridge across the Hwai attacking units charged indo the River In an effort to check the ad-town, over the battered Chinese devance. "At the same time heavy Chi fence work. nese reinforcements are being rushed The attack on the city was pre-from Hsuchowfu to support the de-ceded by a destructive bombing of fences at Pengpu. the: troop concentrations and military Commercial telegraph and telephone positions by units of the Army air services {rom Hankow to Pengpu have force. been suspended os -a result of the Early Engagement Tapanese advance, which is also caus ing south-bound trains from Hsuchow-'Yesterday morning, crushing strong go only as far as 'Nansuchow. Chinese. opposition." the advancing 185 miles north of Pengou—Reuter, Japanesa troops occupied Linhwalkwan, an Important. railway" station Heavy Losses south' of Pengpu. The latter was Hankow, Feb. 3. defended by A force of about 4.000 Heavy Aghting, which has been men, strongly entrenched: in several progress for the past week near Lingines "of defence works. Fighting haikwan, hag resulted in extraordin-continued sporadically throughout arily heavy losses on both sides. Ac~ the night. Shortly before noon, [cording to Chinese statements, Chinese Japanese soldiers reached the railway Units have lost about 5,000 men while Station, and by 1230 o'clock this the Japanese losses are given at fflerndon the entire town was in double that faure, including dead, Japanese hands. wounded and prisoners.
The Tashiro detachment, which 'According {0 an official announce. occupied Fengyang, was operating ment by the Chinese: headquarters under particularly "dimeutt weather Hsuchow, heavy fighting has been conditions. 9 steady snowfall con~ going on' for the past three days' verting roads into a quagmire. the north-west bank of the Chih 'The fall of the town was preceded river, where the Chinese continue to by. an intensive bombardment, which offer' stubborn resistance. The Japan-was begun at dawn to-day. The ese troops are effectively supported troops of the Chinese 198th Division by artillery. tanks and aeroplanes. offered bitter resistance before An_ official Chinese "communique treating. Their number was estimat= Issued here this mornitig still maine ed at 3,000 men—Domel. taing that contrary to the claims made by the Japafiese, both towns of Ling-Mingkwang'x Los Confirmed haikwan and Tingyuan are still in Hankow. Feb.
Chinese: hands.—Trans-Ocean.
The evacuation of Chinese po tions near Mingkwang, important ern vallwoy station on the southern, Hankow, Feb. 3. section: 6 the Tientsin-Pukow Rall-Chinese circles express concern over Way, Wok oflally confirmed to-day pons received here to-day that the By the Chine Miltary Mendquar-Japanese forces at Paotow, in: West tore. here, Sulyuian, appear to be making pre-'Phe withdrawal Is stated to have parations to advance westward into followed a week of severe fighting, in which the Chinese defence wort Japanese invasion of Ninghsia Mingkwang were completely: d and Kansu, in the opinion of the "Sao molished as a result of a terrify Tang Pao," would seriously threaten Japanese artillery bombardment. The communications between China and Chinese forees have now withdrawn Russia via the north-west provinces. to the west bank of the Chi river.
The newspaper emphasizes, however, The Mingkwang a¥ea has been that "the Chinese Government has the objective of the Japanese for already made the necessary prepar: some time, us its hilly topography tions to meet such a threat—Reuter, forms a natural defence line south of Pengpu.
Planes Attack Junks According to Chinese reports. one 'A Japanese Army Base, Feb. 3, of the three Japanese: divisions "More than 1,000" Chinese soldiers Operating on the Tientsin-Pukow Railway front participated in the wore estimated by Japanese mlltary commanders to-day to have been attack on the Mingkwang sector.
Killed when Japanese Army planes Only @ small number of Japanese fal lacked more than 140 funks- near troops are said to be stationed Pengpu at 1 o'clock yesterday after~ present on the Yangchow. Cront, noon. east of the 'Tientsin-Pukow ne on large squadron of Japanese the Grand Canal, and also on the planes swooped down on the junks, northern section' of the Tallway. which were filled with Chinese troops, retreating from Pengpu toward Hwal-'Tsingtao Are yuan on the Chun' River.
The Japanese troops tu the Txin Bombs showered on the junks by tne area are reported to be pushing Ina south-casterly direction towards. the Japanese raft destroyed the Haichow, eastern terminus of the majority of them, the statement Lunghat Railway, in order to out the claimed, Another Japanese air unit Fight tank of the Chinese forces demolished military structures in Aefending Hsuchowfu, the city at the junction of the Tientsin-Pukow Chinese Retreat to Kuchen and Lunghat tines.
Hankow, Feb. 4.
The troops of the late General Following their withdrawal from Hon Furchu, who was recently. executed at Wuchang, have been Pengpu, the main body of the Chinese forees have. taken up positions at reorganized into two" army corps.
Kuchen, a railway town 26 miles which will be under the command. north as-the crow files. Kuchen is respectively, of General Sung Tung~ hsuan and General Tsao Fuslin, only one station south of Nansuchow.
The reorganization was 0 have The latest developments on the southern section of the Tientsin-been carried out under the supervision of General Sun Lien-chung.
Pukow Railway have attracted much Who was once a close associate of attention here, and the Chinese press, General Han Fuchu, under General which at first published reports deny-Feng Vu-hsiang, and by General ing the fall of Pengpu, to-day gave Chiang Po-chen, who was General prominence to its capture by the Chiang Kai-shek's resident repre Japanese.
intative at Tsinan—Reuter.
Chinese and Japanese troops are now facing each other on opposite banks Mankow Report of the Hyal River, which runs across Hankow, Feb. 2. the rallway~Horth of Pengpu. vreted, Japanese, often; night long heavy rife, machine-gun Suthern section and artillery fire was exchanged be-he te, says oilways hn full tween them. sive along salad the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.