Taiyuan, Mar. 19.
Sanguinary hostilities raged to-day in the hilly area west of Linfen, as the Japanese troops continued a major-scale "mopping-up" campaign against the guerilla forces operating in Central Shansi.
Small villages and military strongholds near Chihsien and Siangning, about 70 kims, west of Linfen, were reduced by the Koito detachment by nightfall yesterday. The unit later repelled a night attack by about 1,000 Chinese partisans at Lingshang, north of Taining.
After defeating another force of about 1,000 men, at Sanchiehchwang, southeast of Siangning, early this morning, the Kobayashi unit this afternoon continued to drive southward.
Overcoming the stubborn resistance of about 600 guerilla fighters at Heilungkuan yesterday morning, the Suzuki detachment later in the day routed a force of about 1,500 Chinese of a point 30 kims. east of Siangning, in southwestern Shansl.—Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.