CHINA'S CIVIL WAR

Chronicle (Levin), 28 February 1947, Page 5

CHINA'S CIVIL WAR

Press Assn.

Communists Launch Savage New Offensive

By Telegraph

-Copyrigh .

Reeeived Thursday, 7 p.rn. A A N K I A d, i- eb. 27. (lovernment iield de.spatehes sl-at i hat nearly 125,000 Chinese Coimnun «ts have laune'herl a savage new offen jive in Manehuria, driving to vvithin 1. miles of the eapital Pliangehun. Th. lovernment 's Central A'ews Agenc •iaid the Pommunisls, with a limite . nuniber of tanks and armoured true.Jr.lad overrun N ungan .'12 miles north Oi 'hangehun and Kutai 30 miles north »ast of Phangehnn. Advance units then Irove southward to Wanpaishan l>. niles north of ihe eapital. The Pommunist drive plaees the aii vanee guard more than 45 miles soutl. of the Sungari River which served as .il unoffieial dividing line between (iov ernment. and Communist forces du riii^, ;he winter. Military observers believithe t'hangehun garrison, which include.-. the (Jovernment 's powerful new iirs: army, is strong enougii to withstan.. any immediate threat to Ihe eapital. The Communist radio at Yenan toda. claims that the Conununist i'orces have won tlie biggest victory in the eivil war. (ieneral Chenyi's army which the (lovernmont clairned a week- ago to have been utterly defeated, has now 'annihilated two A'ationalist armies, ' aeeording toyhe radio. It said the Covernment forc.es lost over 50,000 men in savage battles vvhieh followed a Communist eounter attack after Uov ernment forces had captured Finyi, tln-: Communist eapital in Ihe Shautung pro vince. The radio also said Chiang Kai-sliek had concentrated 72 regiments in the southern Shuntung cani]>aign. The radio claimed that Communist forces annihilated seven (tovernmeni divisions in the Tsinan area of Jlan tung pro vince. / The Associated Press says Commun ist tield de.spatehes report that the Com niunists are attacking Tsinan oufer defences from three directions. Mean while, about 30 miles south of Tsinan. 40,000 Communists led by (Ieneral Liu Pocheng, are reported to be prenaring to attack the (tovernnient lield citv of Taian on Ihe Tientsin-Pukow railway'. Karlier (iovernment forces had claim ed that Communist resistance in south eni Slia'nlung was crushed but adruitted j that some of their (inest troops had jgiven ground in the crucial lighting in jShantung's centie. (loverninent rej ports further staled that the A'ationjalists had reinstated (Iovernment adj miiiistratio'ii in 11 di.stricts in Western | Shautung and also that Ceneral Liu j Pocheng 's troops had suffered heavv losses before esc;i[)ing from the triangular area between ihe. Yellow River and Orand (kinal where they had been c'ornered. Otficiaks in Nanking s'cotfed at the Communist claims that 50,000 (Jovern ment troops were anni'hihit ed but adniitted the situation in Shantung pro vince was serious. The t'niled Press Shantung corres pondent, says China's civil war burst into tiame torlay when 100,000 erack Communist troops crossed the Sungar. River in Manehuria and opened a heavv offensive against the (rovernment posi tion. General Li Piao, Coinniander-in Chief, Chinese Connnunist forces in .Yfanchuria, tnoved his headquarters from Ilarbin to Taolachao on the north ern bank of the Sungari to direct, the riew ofl'ensive.