Swiftly following up its victories achieved in the Wuhan sector a part of the Japanese naval flotilla on the Yangtze is driving upstream in pursuit of the fleeing Chinese, headquarters spokesman of the Japanese China Seas Fleet stated inian official communique yesterday.
Another part of the flotilla, the communique revealed, is operating downstream in order to completely clear the river of mines. A detachment ofthe Naval Landing force, the communique also stated, is clearing out the Hankow area of Chinese remnants By routing a strong Chinese force estimated to be about 7,000 strong, Japanese units which entered Wuchang completed occupation of the city on October 26, belated reports reaching here yesterday disclosed. The final stand of the Chinese was made by the 32nd, 44th, 49th, 56th, 57th, 82nd, 103rd, 198th and 199th divisions, the reports claimed. Five hundred and twenty-six prisoners, including six offices were taken while approximately 1,700 Chinese dead were left abandoned. Japanese losses during the engagement, the reports stated, were seven killed and 37 wounded of whom five were officers.
Booty taken by the Japanese forces, according to the reports, included three cannon, four heavy guns, 2,000 rounds of heavy artillery shells, four field guns, 4,064 rounds of light artillery shells, two mountains guns, six high-angle guns of 13 centimetre calibre, 120 rounds of high-angle gun shells, 20 heavy machine guns, 11 light machine guns, 2000 rounds of light machine gun ammunition, 20 automatic rifles, 405 ordinary rifles and 85,000 rounds of rifle ammunition.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.