Chungking Aug. 9.
'HUNGKING, China's much- bombed wartime capital, today experienced one of its worst aerial bombardments, when several flights of Japanese aircraft rained bombs simultaneously on the lower city of Chungking (on the north bank of the Yangtze river), the western suburbs, the north bank of the Chialing River, and the south bank of the Yangtze. Although the toll in casualties and damage is as yet unknown, several big fires were started.
This is said to have been the first time that the south banke was sub-Jeeted to deliberate bombing by the Sapanese, since the aren has hitherto always been recognized as a. safely Zone, where the British, United States, French, Mahan, Belgian and Netherlands Embassies and Legations aswell a8 many foreign firms are Tocated, and off which British and American gunboats and steamers lic, Chinese reports state that Japanese aircraft laid a Tine of bombs along the South bank from Haitonghs ferry to Lungmenhao. (further downriver), where the Embassies and gunboats fre, Previously, it is said, only stray Bombs had fallen in this area.
The alarm was sounded here shortly before noon, when a fight of 46 Japanese bombers was sighted heading for Chungking. The raiders, however, Kept circling above Chi-chiang, a highway town south of Chungking, awaiting the arrival of believed that at Toast two Aights participated in the bombing of Chungking, while earlier two other fights bombed a point some distance from the capital, when the sound of Domb explosions was only faintly audible here.
As the raiders rained bombs the city, strong squadrons of Chinese fighters made at least (we power dive charges into them.—The all-clear was founded of 4 pm—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.