CHINA'S STRUGGLE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 125, 29 May 1942, Page 5

CHINA'S STRUGGLE

JAPS. THROWN BACK

Drive Into Yunnan Province

Succeeding

United Press Association.—Copyright. Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, May 28

A Chungking Central News report says that the Chinese driving on Yunnan Province encircled the Japanese and occupied Lungling. The Chinese High Command has announced that renewed Japanese assaults on Kinhwa were thrown back. Four thousand Japanese soldied in a single day's fighting for Kinhwa. The communique said the enemy penetrated Kwangkitow, a suburb of Kinhwa, on Tuesday, but was quickly ejected after hand-to-hand fighting. A later message received bv fieid telephone after midnight indicated that Japanese troops were closing in on the town from two directions. A new Japanese column is heading toward the north-west of the city. No telephone contact was made this morning, but Chinese military circles point out that this may not indicate the fall of Kinhwa since the garrison will fight on although completely surrounded.

Designed to hamstring the Japanese assaulting Kinhwa, the Chinese are attacking in a triangle between Hangchow, Hashing and Wuhing, in the northernmost part of Chekiang, says the Central News correspondent at Chungking. The Chinese captured Wuchen, 40 miles north-east of Hangkow. Numerous Chinese puppet troops previously serving the Japanese have transferred to the Chinese forces.

In one area 1500 Japanese soldiers were blown up in a field of Chinese land mines.

The Washington correspondent of the New York Herald-Tribune states that over a score of big American transport planes are now engaged in carrying war supplies to China from India, taking the place of the Burma Road as a supply route. The planes make two round trips daily, and it is understood that the supplies transported exceed the amount previously shipped by the Burma Road.