Balshagar Heights, July 26.
Soviet artillery batteries on Outer Mongolian soil were wholly silenced by nightfall yesterday after incessant pounding by Japanese guns since 2 o'clock in the morning. Japanese volunteers succeeded in wrecking the pontoon bridges thrown across the Khalka River by the Outer Mongolians, who now find their retreat cut off.
At noon yesterday, one or two Soviet guns and several field artillery pieces maintained a desultory fire vainly attempting to hit their tormentors on the Manchoukuo side. Japanese aerial bombardments were also staged against these batteries during the day.
Isolated Outer Mongolian and Soviet infantry groups were being surrounded at various points near the border. Most of the tanks and armoured cars that also crossed the Khalka were damaged, although some were still cruising about in an attempt to escape annihilation, Oficial tabulations by Japanese flying officers placed the number of Outer Mongolian and Soviet aircraft shot down or destroyed on the ground from the beginning of the conflict here till yesterday afternoon at 691. Recent additions to the total of Soviet-built craft that feel prey to Japanese combat craft were 45 on July 23, 41 on July 24 and seventeen yesterday.—Domei.
Manchoukuo Air Defence Precautions Tokyo, July 26, Because of the continued trouble on the Manchoukuo-Mongolian border, the Manchoukuo Government has invoked the air defence provisions of the National Defence Law. The provisions will be enforced immediately throughout the country.—Reuter.
U.S. Did Not Give Support The paper pointed out that Britain did not dare to send a large fleet to the Far East because of the tense situation in Europe and also brought attention *o the fact that the United States had showed no disposition to brandish the American fleet in Tokyo's face.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.