HEAVY LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1943, Page 4

HEAVY LOSSES

SUFFERED BY JAPANESE AT CHANGTEH 15,000 KILLED & 25,000 WOUNDED. ACCORDING TO CHINESE SPOKESMAN. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) CHUNGKING, December 10. The Japanese employed 150,000 troops, the full strength of their Eleventh Army, under LieutenantGeneral Yokoyama, in the rice bowl battle. Of the enemy force mentioned, 15,000 were killed and 25,000 wounded at Changteh, declared a Chinese Army spokesman, Major-General Tseng. He added that the Chinese had been strongly reinforred and at present were pressing a general counter-offen-sive, from which important developments were expected within 48 hours. Sizeable forces were fighting bitterly north-west of Changteh and also along a front of 120 miles to the Yangtse. General Tseng said all the Japanese south of tire Yuan River had been driven back. He praised the splendid cooperation of the American and Chinese airmen. ' General Stilwell’s communique states that Mitchells bombed Japaneseheld positions in the Changteh area on Wednesday. All bombs fell in the target area. The Tokio radio said American planes twice attacked Hankow and Wuchang last night. A spokesman at Japanese Headquarters in China declared that the Americans had received orders to bomb the Japanese mainland and also communications between Japan and the mainland. The Japanese were preparing to encounter the enemy air force. The spokesman added that the Chinese. situation was more confused and serious and therefore was receiving great attention.