Strain on the strife-ridden Manchoukuo-Soviet border remained unabated tonight as Japanese and Manchurian military authorities awaited a reply to the protests filed by Tokyo and Changchun regarding the alleged illegal occupation of Changkaofeng by The King's Health Improving Steadily A Hunchun dispatch today quoted Japanese military authorities as asserting that Japanese troops would be compelled to take action should the Soviet forces continue to build de-
London, July 16.
The following statement, was issued from the Royal Lodge, Windsor, shortly after noon yesterday.
"The King's progress continues to be satisfactory. His Majesty will be up for a longer time today."—Wireless through Reuter. fence works in the invaded area.
Opinion here tended to link the latest incident with the recent escape from Siberia of General Genrich Samoilovitch Lushkov, said to be the head of the Far Eastern Ogpu, who is now a political exile in Japan.—Domei, Hankow, July 16.
Heavy fighting is continuing near Hukow and the Poyang Lake, with Japanese speedboats and gunboats attacking fiercely, supported by aircraft.
The Japanese are at present fortifying their positions on the/ southern bank of the Yangtze and Chinese military circles here believe that the Japanese will launch a new offensive in the direction of Nanchang and Chengsha or from Kiukiang westwards towards Sienning with the object of cutting off railway communications between Hankow and Canton and holding up river traffic or: the Yangtze. In order to achieve this object the Japanese would have to occupy some difficult hilly terrain where the Chinese have constructed numerous strong fortifications, and it appears as if the Chinese high command is taking all precautions to resist the thrust which would decide the fate of Hankow.
Eighteen Japanese bombing planes accompanied by the same number of pursuit planes dropped bombs on Hankow this afternoon, hitting a Chinese petrol storage tank which immediately exploded. A few minutes afterwards Chinese pursuit planes engaged the raiders and, according to eye witnesses, five machines were shot down, of which according to Chinese military circles three were Japanese planes. The remaining Japanese planes which were also subjected to fierce anti-aircraft fire made off in a northwesterly direction, the bombing planes dropping their bombs in the open country onl lo Hankow., where go damage was caused.—Trans-
Ocean.
Raiding the Nanchang aerodrome, Kiangsi province, on Friday, Japanese naval planes demolished 15 of 22 grounded Chinese planes, Japanese fleet authorities announced in a communique issued yesterday morning.
No Chinese planes took to the air for combat. 7 The naval planes sank a Chinese gunboat, the Pingming, with a tonnage of 200, near Tienkiachen, 60 kilometres north-west of Kiukiang, the statement claimed. The gunboat was camouflaged with trees.
Other air squadrons, assisting Japanese troops, heavily bombed and routed Chinese soldiers in moun-famous areas north-east of Siangkow, 50 kilometres south-west of Anking.
Chinese fire from artillery positions at Shihtzeshan, downstream from Kiukiang along the Yangtze, was completely silenced when tons of bombs were dropped on them, the communique concluded,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.