BRITONS PREPARING TO LEAVE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 48, 19 November 1937, Page 5

BRITONS PREPARING TO LEAVE

-Press Association-

Chinese Determined to Resist to Bitter End CAP1TAL REMOVED TO INTERIOR

J3v -reiegrapli—

-Copyriglit.

(Received November 19, 10.50 a.m.) t LONDON, November 17 The Japanese grip is tightening on Nanking, tbe evacuation 0f wMch has reached a stage bordering on panic. All Britisb citiyens will be coneentrated in the vicinity of tbe Embassy, so as to enable the offieials to take the entire community aboard the warihips Bee and Cricket. which are anchored in the river. American warships will also be ready to evaeuate nationals of the U.S.A. The Tokio correspondent of The Times states — "Although there. is the danger that the voluntary dismemberment .of the Nanking Grovernment and the dispersal of the departments to remdte places will be followed by a breakdown of the centr®. anthority, Japan is eonfident that she will be able to cope with jmy situation that may arise. "The removal of the capital to the interior is a feature of strategy which the Chinese have never concealed. The decision has not surprised the Japanese, whose airmen have proved that no part of China is beyond their reach. The Government will be pnrsned and attaeked wherever it goes. "Aceording to Japanese reports from Shanghai, one section of the Government admitted defeat and wanted to ask for an armistice. Another demanded that the war should be carried on to the bitter end. "The decision of Marshal Chiang Kai-shek to resist to the bitter end Hestroys the hope that the Chinese might abandon their resistance after the fall of Shanghai, but the Japanese have been prepared for an extended struggle."

The Japanese advance and the withiirawal of Chinese Government offices rom Nanking have only heightenod Ihe detennination of the Chinese to eheck the invaders at all costs. "Nanking is another Madrid" has bedome the prevailing battle cry. In addition, heavy_ Tejpforcements are hastening ©astwards to the Shanghai-Nankvttg line by railway to strengthen the line in. the vicinity of Soochow. Troops are already;taking np positipns around, the threatened capital. Another 150,000 from the Szeehwan province arrived toAnticipating attempts by the Japanese to break the boom. across the Tangtse river, the Chinese have erected anether boom in the vicinity of Chinkiang in addition to laying mines in the river. Nevertheless, the majority of foreign obse'rvers consider that Nanking is doomed. Few believe, however, that the Japanese will attempt to ad vance further into the interior after the fall of the capital owing to tho approach of winter and the danger of Sttennated communications. General Chang Fah Kwei, commandex ef the Chinese "Ironsides," launched a xesolute counter-attack against the Japanese advancing on NanHng in tho neighbourhood of Tashing. Heavy fight- ' ing was in piogress at midnight. Eepresentatives of the Exghth Eoute Army denied that they were retreating from -the Shansi "province. On the contrary, they claim to hold 26 districts in Shansi and to have organised 25,000 peasants in north Shansi and armed most Of them, forming a huge antiJapanese force operating at the Tear of the invaders' lines. The ToHo correspondent of the Daily Telegraph sayg that the Emperor has ■anctioned the establishment of Imperial Headquarters to assume supreme command of the hostilities and co-ordi-nate the activities of the Army and Navy. The membership of Imperial Headquarters will be' cqnfined to high Army and Navy officers nnder the Em.peror, and the chiefs of the Army and Navy staffs. "'The public regards the* transfer from, Nanking as the first indication of the collapse of the National Government. It is realised, however, that •uch a collapse does not necessarily mean the end of the war. This can only come with the collapse of the Chinese morale, of which no signs are vissible." . « Instead of trying to save himself when a Chinese bullet pierced his aeroplane during the bombardment of Soochow, Lieutenant Sadao Shirosho, one of Japah's aces, crashed his machine on a . Chinese artillery position, hilling himself and damaging the position. Lieutenant Shirosho is credited with 20 raids on Nanking, on which he brought down 26 Ghinese planes. The Japanese claim thdt there were 300,000 Chinese casualties in the Shanghai figbting Of that number 91,000 have been found dead on the battlefields since August 23, and 10,000 have been picked up in tbe last ten days. The Japanese captured 2300 light and heavy machine guns, 14,200 rifles, •nd 11 howitzers and mountain guns.