In four successive attacks by moonlight on Henyang^ in central Hunan on Saturday night, Japanese naval aircraft forestalled a Chinese attempt to reconstitute their air force, a communique issued by the Japanese China Seas Fleet command yesterday claimed.
The Japanese raid, the announcement continued, inflicted severe losses. Hangars and grounded aircraft were bombarded in this surprise operation. All Japanese machines taking part in the raid returned to their base safely, according to the announcement.
"Effective raids," the communique continued, were also carried out on Saturday against military establishments at Pinglo, on the Kwei River, and Kweiling in northeastern Kwangsi province. Ten rows of Army barracks were demolished and seven others were set on fire at Kweiling.
Three raids were carried out Saturday against the southern portion of the Canton-Hankow Railway.
The railway bridges at Yinchanyao and at Sunkai were claimed having been destroyed.
In Central China, the air afin of the Navy assisted the progress of land and river forces by actively bombing Chinese concentrations and artillery positions.
The river surface units made rapid progress upstream from Kichun in the face of Chinese artillery fire, a channel being cleared of mines above Kichun by nightfall. The naval units covered 15 nautical miles on Saturday, according to the communique.
The naval force in occupation of Kichun consolidated its position" by dispersing Chinese forces in the vicinity of the fortified town which was captured Saturday, the communique stated,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.