Attacking Chinese heavy bombers which appeared near Hukow over the Yangtze- yesterday morning, Japanese naval fighting planes brought down two of them, Japanese naval authorities announced in a communique issued at 11 o'clock yesterday morning.
The communique said that naval planes heavily bombed Chinese artillery positions nea Shihtzeshan, downstream from Kiukiang on Tuesday, thereby silencing the Chinese fire.
Also bombed on Tuesday were two boats with full loads of ammunition near Tienkiachen, about 60 kilometres north-east of Kiukiang. The boats were set on fire, steamed away when engaged by "hinese shore batteries.
Japanese aircraft bombed Lion Hill, west of Hukow yesterday, With the arrival of Chinese reinforcements at Kiukiang, comprising crack Cantonese divisions commanded by General Li Han-wen, Chinese circles here are confident that any attempt on the part of the Japanese to advance westward along the south bank of the Yangtze will meet with stiff opposition.
A temporary lull in the fighting in ihe Hukow sector continues, according to a Chinese military communique today.
At the same time, foreign reports from Kiukiang state that all is quiet there. The U.S.S. Monocacy remains stationed three miles above Kiukiang, while the British river gunboat Cockchafer is moored in mid-stream off the city.
Japanese aircraft are understood to have scattered pamphlets over Kiukiang yesterday—Reuter.
Naval planes which bombed Hankow and Wucháng on Tuesday without being hampered by anti-aircraft fire or Chinese planes also dropped bombs on the aerodromes in Ichang, Hupeh, Yingchow, Anhwei, and Yushan, Kiangsi, the communique said.
The naval planes spotted only three Chinese planes and several dummy planes on the ground, but no planes took to the air.
In Fukien province the Japanese raiders demolished Chinese military positions at Changchow, while in Kwangtung they bombed military establishments around Canton.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.