Tokyo, Feb. 27.
China's attempt to rebuild an effective air force suffered a crushing for back ina series of three Japanese army alr raids against Lanchow, capital of Kansu province and major Chinese aeronautical base, eld dis~ patches summarizing successes, elaimed recently, said today. More than 180 Chinese aeroplanes were claimed. to have been shot down or disabled 8 a result. of the raids, which cost the Japanese five bombers and 32 lives, these reports said, Furious air combats, during which, Japanese bombers engaged droves. Chinese righters of Soviet and Ameri can origin, featured these raids, In contrast io the almost complete bvenee of any aerial defence at Lanchow in November last year, when the first attack against that Dase was carried out by Japanese army aircraft, the dispatches pointed out. This was the increasing importance being attached to Lanchow by the Kuomintang high command.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.