Hangchow, Jan. 22.
Driving through snow one foot deep, Japanese detachments which at 11 am. today captured Siaoshan continued to advance south of the Chientang River this afternoon.
Launching new operations in that area, three Japanese units began crossing the river early this morning All forces had landed on 'n south tank at 7 am. A barrage laid dow by Japanese ^rüllery kept the landing forces covered.
The objective in the new drive was apparently to establish safety in the areas of the Yangtze delta along the Shanghai-Hangchow Railway and in the vicinity of Hangchow.
Japanese forces also hope, military observers here stated, to cut off supply routes to the Chungking Government. The Chekiang-Kiangsi and a portion of the Shanghai-Hangchow-Ningpo Railways were being used by the Chinese forces, it was pointed out, as supply routes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.