FURIOUS FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 May 1943, Page 4

FURIOUS FIGHTING

IN CENTRAL CHINA FORMIDABLE JAPANESE EFFORT. ' CHECKED FOR TIME BEING. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) CHUNGKING, May 26. Military observers regard the current Japanese offensive in the Yangtse Valley as the most formidable attempt in six years to end the Chinese “incident.” The Chinese High Command tonight reported that the Japanese have made no significant progress in the past 48 hours in the thrusts toward Chungking. The Chinese, who have recently been harassing the enemy supply lines round Ichang, recaptured Chenchiatayen, which is a strategic village in the I north-western suburbs of Ichang. The I Chinese also recaptured two villages near Lihsien, west of Lake Tungting. The Japanese are reported to have accumulated 100,000 troops in the Hupeh-Hunan border area, and these are being rapidly reinforced from Shanghai and Nanking. The Central China news agency stated that the Chinese rolled back one Japanese column driving toward China's “rice-bowl,” west of Lake Tungting, and slowed down the enemy’s three-pronged thrust which was believed to be aimed at Chungking. The Japanese south and southeast of Yuauangkwan were badly beaten and retreated northward. The invaders, who r are attempting to dislodge the Chinese from their positions along the Yangtse between Ichang and Yochow, laid down a heavy artillery and aerial bombardment, but the Chinese offered stiff resistance and have inflicted staggering losses on the enemy in ferocious fighting.

THREAT TO CHUNGKING

ATTEMPT TO SMASH RIVER DEFENCES. (Received This Day, 12.40 p.m.) CHUNGKING, May 27. “The Japanese have opened up the Upper Yangtse River as a supply route as far as Ichang, 462 miles below Chungking,” said a Chinese military spokesman. Ichang, he added, was the main Japanese base. The curent operations are apparently aimed at Chungking. Heretofore the Japanese had been supplied by land routes as the river was exposed to attacks by mobile Chinese units. The spokesman said the Chinese were still contesting Japanese control of the river between Ichang and Shansi. He expressed the opinion that the Japanese were trying to smash the Chinese river defences before launching simultaneous land and naval advances against Chungking. The Japanese were using 85,000 troops in the West Hu.pch operations. A Chinese communique states that about a thousand Japanese vzere wiped out on Tuesday in close-quarter fighting at Sangtze, opposite Ichang, while attempting to move westwards fiom newly-occupied points under cover of artillery and planes.