With the establishment shortly of the model peace zone in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Nanking administration is giving serious consideration to plans for tripling the present strength of the Nanking Army toa total of 540,000 troops.
The present Nanking forces. total 180.000, of which 100,000 comprise ight division and thre: independent regiments belonglig to the First fea Army under General Jen Yuan-'Sixty thousand form six brigades of the First. Group Army under General Li Chang-kiang, while the remaining 20000 men. belong to the Kiangsu-Anhwei Border Peyce Preservation Corps commanded General Yang Chung-hwa—Dome terday evening, nese despatch from the Tehang front.
Recently, the despatch declared, the Japanese brought to the Zchang airfield large numbers of fighters and bombers for operations in Szechuan. Yesterday afternoon. after raiding. various points In Szechuan, Japanese Sireratt returned and landed on the sitfleld shortly after 6 pam.
Chinese batteries in hills on the' south bank of the Yangtze River muddenly opened fire and heavily shelled the airfield where 19 aircraft were on the grt 'Thirteen machines, including several heavy bombers, were immediately set on fire by direct hits, tt is claimed. 'The six others hastily' took off in the midst fof dense smoke and managed to escape, Japanese artillery then opened up resulting in a spirited exchange of fire.
Tt ig recalled that two Japanese planes were said to have been de-Stroyed at Ichang by Chinese artil~ lery In February, while 14 machines were claimed to Move been destroyed October.
Two. Japanese fighters were shot down yesterday by anti-aircraft fire at Lanchow, capital of Kansu. according fo & Chinese report.
The same report says that 27 Jap~ Janese aircraft at noon yesterday bombed Sinning, capital of Chinghai (Kokonor), which was ube frst raid fon the province ever reported.
Nine Japanese planes raided An-kang, in Shensi, while nine others in Kansu. and Hsienyang, in Shensi. Eight Japan. Gse aiveralt attacked Prochi.
Fifty-two machines took part in raids on Szechuan yesterday. Twenty-seven raiders bomgil Sungpang, seven machine-unrgM' Yiping, and 18 planes reconnoltrd over Chengtu, Nanchung and Enshih without drop: ing bombs—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.