JAPANESE CLAIM IMPORTANT GAINS IN NORTH CHINA

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 208, 18 September 1937, Page 5

JAPANESE CLAIM IMPORTANT GAINS IN NORTH CHINA

Strategic Positions Captured From Chinese

(Received 18; 1.0 p.m.) 1 L0NDUN, Sept. 17. As the result of the northern offensive, the Japanese now claim to occupy Chochow, also Sung-lin-tein, and .the early annihilation of Chinese troops driven into the area south of Chochow is prophesied. Important Japanese gains were secured to-day, 60 hours after the hattle opened. The Chinese, with reinforcements, gal-' lantly contested the passage of the Chuma River, and launched a numher of counter-attaeks, but yielded after 15 hours fighting, enabling the Japanese to take Sung-lin-tein and Shan-chiang-sien. The Chinese are strongly concentrated at Laishui, a walled town seven miles to the westward, but the railway, in 'Japanese Kands, lies between this and the defeated Chinese troops. The Chinese south of the Yungting River are still retreating, the Japanese having taken positions near Fangshan, where the Chinese are virtually marooned by the loss of the railway, and are cut off by the mountains and aeparated from Liuli by six walercourses, the only road heing dominated by the Japanese, whose columns on the Shansi border are rushing forward so rapidly that they may participate in General Terauehi's plans for encircling tlie Chinese northern armies. They have reached Kwangchan, a hundred miles to the south-east of Tatung. The Chinese Embassy has received a report that the Chinese, after- a fierce counter-offensive, recaptured their positions at East Lotien, killing 1000 Japanese by land mines. The Chinese still elaim possession of vantage points around Tatung where the fighting rages. It is intensified for the first tirae in the war by Chinese bombing planes.