42 Warships Gather at Shanghai

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 36, 5 November 1937, Page 5

42 Warships Gather at Shanghai

- Press Assn.-

HEAVY SHELLING Encirclement of City is Foreshadowed CHINESE L1NES POUNDED

(By d'olegraph-

-CopyrigPt.)

(Eeceived .5. 1.40 a.m.) SHANGHAI, Nov. 4. Forty-two warships, including four aircraft-carrierst the largest naval squadron stationed here siiice the fitari; of hostiiities, are concentrated in the Whanpoo river. .The coneentration fofeahadows an attempt by the Japanese to land troqps at Po6tung, opposite the International Settlement, in an attempt to encircle the city. B.ombers and arttllery, as a preliminary, are hammering the Chinese lines on the western outskirts;. others ure bombing and machine-gunning Ihe Pootung positions. Tliis afteriioon 40 planes systematically bombed the western garden suburb adjacent- to the ereek. £ • The Japanese claim that they liavo' occupied "four to six miies of the south bank of the Soochow Creek to a. depth vof half a mile The low bariks -are frxposins the troops to heavy Chinese ^fire. " A Peiping message reports that the Japanese cavalry advance guards are within 12 miles of Taiyuanfn, capital of the Shansi province.