REDS BREAK THROUGH

Chronicle (Levin), 13 December 1948, Page 5

REDS BREAK THROUGH

l ( N.Z.P.A ,

—Reuter,

Nationalists Rushing Up Reinforcements .

CavUTight)

Received Monday, 10.5 a.m. ^ NANKING, Dec. 12. ^ The Communists today broke through the Government defene'es south of Lake Hungtze, in East Anhwei, and attacked ithe railway 'betw.een Pukow and Pengpu, only 45 miles northwest of Nanking. The Nationalists are rushing reinforcements to the area. where fierce fighting is going on. The Communists late ,this afternoon were still holding their positions astride the line and all rail traffic between Pengpu an'd Pukow was again suspended for the second time in four days. The Nationalist Air Force ' iS making 50 flighits daily to drop supplies to the encircled Nationalist armies from Hsuchow now stationary in the Kiangou, Anhwei and Honan border region. Nationalist relief eolumns from the southeast are now claimed to be within 20 miles of the encircle'd armies. ' ; > A message from Tientsin reports that the Nationalist garrison was withdrawn from the Tongshan mining centre today and the Communists moved in. About 20' Britons, including three wives and a few hospital nurses, were among the mining administration staff at Tongshan. Reuter's Shanghai correspondent says that the Premier designate, Dr. Sun Po, has returned to Nanking* from Shanghai after failing to form a new Cabinet. China's political leaders are reporte'd to be* unable to agree whether the policy of the new Government should be to seek a. settlement with the Communists or place the nation on a total war basis for an intensified antiCommunist campaign.