Changchun Reports Successes at Nomonhan Western Manchoukuo Frontier Scene of Clash Changchun, July 24. FPORTY-four Soviet combat and bombing planes were shot down in a series of engagements above Nomonhan near the western Vorder of Manchoukuo on Sunday, the Kwantung Army. headquarters here announced in a communique issued at 12.20 o'clock this noon.
In addition one grounded Soviet machine was set on fire, while "several" were destroyed by bombing, it claimed, Four Japanese machines had failed to return to their bases up to the time of the announcement.
Forty-two out of about 70 combat planes and two out of about 60 Soviet bombers were shot down, according to the communique, Japanese and Manchoukuo forces at 7 o'clock Sunday morning launched counter-attack" on about 1,000 Soviet and Mongolian troops who erossed the Khalkha and Holstein Rivers under cover of darkness, according to a, feld dispatch received here today. The advance of the invaders was halted by heavy Japanese artillery. fire directed both at. the attacking forces and at enemy posi= tions on the other side of the border river, the message said, Hostile forces which erossed the border Saturday night were equipped with 100 tanks and. many field: guns. In the ensuing battle more' than 50 tanks were hit by Japanese shells, the message stated.
Additional information was received today regarding the death of Mr, Shigeru Sato, 34-year-old cot respondent of the' "Osaka Mainich and "Tokyo Nichi-Nichi" chain. of newspapers, This was the frst fatality' among newsmen at the border, Mr, Sato was fatally wounded when struck by a plane bomb frag-mest while he was watching opera tions near the frst lines in the vicinity of Balshagar Hill on Sunday.
He was riding in a radio' truck of the Manchoukuo News Agency when several Soviet flew over the vicinity at 1.30 o'clock on Sunday afternoon, One' of the bombs dropped by. the planes exploded about 20 yards from the truck, wounding Mr. Sato and Russian' driver, 9.30 o'clock this morning. At 1230 O'clock Japanese planes clashed with 40 more hostile craft. One Japanese plane had not returned to its base the time the statement was issued. Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.