Chungking, Feb, 11, Details of the fighting in southern Honan were reviewed today by Gen, Pai Chung-hsi, Deputy Chief of the inese General Staff, who stated:
wing the past two weeks the Japanese launched attacks in Honan and Hupeh Provinces, the main attack being.in Honan while only minor operations were witnessed in Hupeh.
"Before the outbreak of the Honan campaign the Japanese strength there comprised the 18th Independent Brigade, 39th Division, 4th Division, Srd Division, 14th Independent Brigade and others, totalling three and a half. divisions comprising 80,000 infantry troops, 8,000 cavalry troops, 560 feld guns, 300 tanks and 200 armoured cars, "About the middle of January the Japanese launched attacks on the west bank of the Han River for the purpose of drawing Chinese troops to that area after which the Japanese main body launched an attack on Jan, 24 in southern Honan, During last December the Japanese secretly concentrated the 17th and 15th Divisions in southern Honan and northern Hupeh,. Part of the 40th Division was sent from southern Honan to Sinyang where by the middle of January the Japanese concentrated 30,000 troops."
"By the middle of January Japanese forces along the southern section of the Peiping-Hankow railway started to move norfivward along both sides of the railway for the purpose of clearing up the Chinese mobile units there.
"Meanwhile Japanese on the west bank of the Han River launched strong attacks on January 23 to divert Chinese attention, "In southern Honan, an entire third division and also part of the fourth division formed the left wing of the Japanese advancing columns, while the 17th division with a part of the 15th division forced the Japanese central column while the 40th division formed the Japaneses right wing.
"The Japanese left wing launched Jan attack along the west side of the railway reaching Wuyang on January 30. The Japanese central column pushed northward along the railway Teaching Siping on Jamuary 29 and then turned westward towards Wu-yang joining forces with the left wing before withdrawing southwards, "The combined Japanese forces attacked Nanyang on the night of February 4 but were driven south by the Chinese after a battle at dawn on February 6, The Japanese right wing moving northward along the east side of the railway reached Sihua via Junan and Shantsai but withdrew towards Shantsa Gen. Pai Chung-hsi said: "Later the Chinese attacked the Japanese flanks and rear in the vicinity of Sinyang and Kashan. The main objective of the Japanese drive was to destroy the Chinese army in the field and occupy the entire Peiping-Hankow Railway, thereby separating the Chinese forces operating on the east and west sides of the railway.
"Not only have the Japanese failed io achieve their objective but they also suffered heavy losses in battle",—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.