He claims that Chinese guerillas fare not only in control of areas outside ig cities, but that their opera tions have even penetrated inside big cit {In one town one night, he asserts, within a short distance of the offices and residences of the local Japanese-fostered administration, which was closely guarded by Japanese soldiers, the Chinese populace held a mass meeting pledging loyalty to the Chie nese Central Government at Chung-
Hankow, May 22.
Their aim of "crushing" Chinese forces in the fled In areas east of the Han River in northern Hupeh province assortedly achieved, Japan-50. troops in sectors northwest of Hankow, have brought their opera jons toa halt, a communique issued by' the headquarters of the Japan ce Expeditionary Force to Central China yesterday evening said.
"Not one ce-ordinated. and con~ trolled "Chinese combat unit," the Girector of the Press Bureau of the Expeditionary Force said in supplementary statement, "remains inside the Japanese zone of operations Part of the Chinese forces, he added, "had fled to the north' into the Woushow mountains, while the remainder, found hiding' in gaps. the sweeping Japanese move had Len anniilaied ina second en=
"Displaying a vigorous offensive Jepirit" "the spokesman went on, "Japanese forees continued for ten days to attack the successive Chinese defence - positions made simest impregnable by the moun-famous terrain "This, he stated. had been made ler Chinese forees in one sector had been lured out" of their positions by a feinted weakening of the Japanese ines.
Tu another sector, the spokesman went on, the Japanese offensive proaressed in an intense heat at a daily rate of from 30 10 40 kilometres for more than' ten days, The Chinese forees. left about 20,000 dead up to Sunday, according ton field dispatch received here today.
"The only course left for the Kuomintang command to attempt to recover the sector cast of the Han River would be for" Gen, Chiang himself to direct a counter-offensive of his own Centrat troops, Japancee officers said. The next" moves of the generalissimo were being await-fed_with interest here,
Division Ww tually wiped out Gen, 180th At'Sinyeh, west of Pinyuan, "which joved 200 kilometres according to the statement of a captured Chinese officer of the division.
Closely pursued by" the Jo this division was the "major forees by a westward crossings of the Han River, the ptl-
'The Chinese, the General says, not ible' to collect. the usual the populace in. the countryside, but Chinese residents of Chinese Losses Heavy out troops who abandoned 998 dead, cording to a field dispatch reaching ads, "Chinuese guerillas originally" stationed hind the Japanese lines retain their while fresh Chinese forces Entrenched in the sector linking Chuki 3 into the occupied Peiping, May 24 lably learned here that hupeh north of the nantes units and landed at 'Tsingtao, aswell aku. Figures are' unavailable, ut it ts believed that the Tsingtao Honan which were earvied out from several transports, totalled around 20.000"
'The troops are believed to have been brought eross from, Japan. Some new arrivals are already in action in' the neighbourhood, where there has been considerable guerilla rlllery" batteries, the snfantey unit Succeeded in routing them.
Four "iron foot" detachments circled some 5,000 Chinese on the eastern bank of the Han River, 50
Kilometres north of Anlu, last. Satur-
Fighting In North Mupen Chungking. May 27, Heavy fighting is again in progress In Norih Mupeh, according te reports received here ' this morning. The is the rosen of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.