ROAR OF ARTILLERY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 164, 29 July 1937, Page 5

ROAR OF ARTILLERY

■Presa Assn.-

Success Claimed By Both Sides DETERMINED DRIVE

]B; Telegraph—

-CoDyricht.)

(Received 29, 9,30 a.m.) PEIPING, July 28. Severe fig'hting has broken out at Peiping whicb is believed to be the first main objective of tbe Japanese attack. Britisb and other foreign troops manned the gates of the Legation quarter as a precaution. Chinese troops are being rushed mp to Peiping in preparation for the defence, The Japanese claim to have captured Nanyuan, five miles soutb of Peiping. The Chinese claim to have oc« cupied Tungchow and destroyed the railway bridge at Yangtung, cutting off the Japanese retreat. Ihey also claim to have driven the Japanese out of Fengtai. The firing died down at midnight. The Chinese claim to have captured 300 Japanese planes at Fengtai still packed in transport crates. The Japanese military spokesman said that zero hour was noon to-morrow. "We may have to blow up the gates of Peiping," he added. X The British Charge d 'Affaires at Tokio called on the Foreign Minister, who gave an assurance that every effort would be made Dot to endanger the lives and property of foreigners in Peiping. The distant roar of artillery can be heard north, soutli and west of Peiping. Fighting is now proceedihg at Papaoshan in addition to Nanyuan and Tongshan, suggesting that the Japanese have begun a determined drive to dislodge the whole of the Twentyninth Army from the Peiping area. ft is reported from Hongkong that the Japanese Government has ordered its nationala to evacuate Swatow, Amoy and Foochow. Messages to Tokio from Peiping state that two air squadrons are at present carrying out punitive bombing raid'S south and west of Peiping, notably at Nanyuan, where the Thirty-eighth Chinese Division is reported to have been routed. A Tientsin message states that the Consular Corps met to discuss measures to ehsure the safety of foreigners. Three thousand Japanese reinforcements have left Tientsin for the front.