OUTLOOK NOT HOPEFUL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 August 1938, Page 5

OUTLOOK NOT HOPEFUL

RUSSO-JAPANESE BORDER FIGHTING Full-Dress War on Four-Mile Front DESTRUCTION OF SEVENTY SOVIET TANKS REPORTED By Telegraph—Press Association. —Copyright. LONDON, August 8. The Tokio correspondent of “The Times" says that despite the fact that the Government is clearly making an effort for a peaceful settlement of the frontier dispute, army leaders are not hopeful of an early cessation of hostilities. They point out that there has been no contact between the commanders on the spot since July 29, any person approaching the Soviet line being fired on. They declare that the situation now full-dress war on a four-mile front. Except since July 31, it is claimed, the Japanese forces have been fighting purely defensively. The Russian forces now operating are believed to number at least a division, including artillery, tanks and aeroplanes, compared with their original strength of four battalions. The Japanese claim to have destroyed 70 tanks since the conflict began and brought down, certainly five, and possibly seven, Soviet aeroplanes by gunfire.

ATTACK BY BOMBERS

JAPANESE WAITING GRIMLY. MARSHAL BLEUCHER ARRIVED TOKIO, August 9. Fourteen bombers attacked the Japanese lines at Changkufeng and Shatsaoping three times since dawn today. The Japanese are manning the trenches in both areas, grimly awaiting the new Russian onslaught. Only a few hundred yards separate the forces. In No Man’s Land are strewn bodies, rifles, machine-guns and derelict tanks.

Fresh Russian troops are replacing the main body in the front line, at Changkufeng. Marshal Bluecher has arrived at Novokievsk in order personally to direct operations. ANOTHER OVERTURE. REPORTED CONCESSION BY JAPAN. (Recd This Day, 10.15 a.m.) TOKIO, August 9. M. Shigemitsu is again conferring with M. Litvinoff and is expected to announce an important concession to Russia concerning the proposed frontier demarcation commission.