Evening star., 1932-02-21
K|ANGWAN'SFALL
IS BELIEVED NEAR
Japanese Tanks Lead Attack
in "Key" Sector. Chapel
Pounded.
Continued From First Pase.)

Continued From First Pase.)
the stategic city of Ttrnhua. The jap
anese garrison was reinforced from
Changchun and Kirin and the Chinese
were repulsed.
japanese Claims Troops Have Entered
Eastern End Of Town.
Copyright. 1882. by the Associated Press)
SHANGHAI, February 20-Japanese
Army headquarters said japanese troops
entered the eastern end Of Kiangwan
today, under a combined attack Of ar
tillery, terks, airplaneS and infantry
They met dogged resistance from the
retreattrC Chinese.
The japanese claimed they also
gained q toe-hold ON the northern side
Of Kiangwan, where Japanese foot sol
diers were attempting to enter, the1r
pace slowed by Chinese fire.
The battle had become fiercer, fifteen
airplanes we're bombing the Chinese po-
sitions, while howitzers and artillery
pieces laid down q barrage ahead Of
the advancing tanks and infantry.
japanese infantry reinforcements be.
gan moving into the battle line from
behind Japanese headquarters shortly
before noon.
japanese Estimate Losses.
Fighting along the northern border
of the International Settlement was i'm
minent as 200 more japanese soldiers
took up positions In the Chapel area
around the ruins of the Shanghai
Nanking railway station, and Chinese
reinforcements were also brought UP
there.
japanese headquarters announced
that nine japanese had been killed and
IS wounded In the two-day offensive on
Kiangwan up to II an. today. The
figures were considered low by ohserv-
ers Of the battle.
Reports from Woosung said Chinese
infantry attempted to cross Woosung
Creek to attack Japanese lines, but
the japanese claimed they drove back
the attackers.
The Chinese took the aggressive at
that point on the battlefront, extend
Ing from Chapel, In Shanghai.
Chinese artillery continued to shell
positions R the left bank Of the creek,
many khe1ls falling among the japanese
sold1oRs.
japanese guns far in the rear Of the
armored juggernauts hurled an ave-
lanche of shells over japanese head
quarters in the International Racing
Club, which is at least q mile east o1
Kiangwan. The Japanese had pushed
up to that point in yesterdays fero-
cious onslaught
Immediately after the shelling began
today, the tanks entered the mile o1
no mans land between the racecourse
and the town.
Battle Flares at Woosung.
In the rear Of the Chinese lines the
defenders artillery shelled the oncom.
ing forces, although not on such q
great scale as the Japanese lombard
ment.
Over at Woosung, at the opposite end
OF the front from Chapel and Kiang-
wan, another battle fared. Three
japanese destroyers and one cruiser
pumped hail Of shells into the long
suffering village as the fog lifted, en-
abling the armed hosts there as well
as at Kiangwan to see what they were
doing.
Although the Japanese yesterday
claimed they had destroyed the last
vestiges of the Chinese positions at
Woosung, they found themselves the
objective this morning of Chinese guns
which had been brought into the VII
lage during the night.
The battered guns Of the Chinese
forts, which the japanese thought they
had hammered into junk, also came ia
life and shelled the japanese feet
lying in the Whangpoo River.
R41I x,14 l. -
warships' bombardment, while Chinese
troops entrenched along the shorelines
appeared to hold their positions against
the Japanese with q sheet of fire from
small arms.
4 visit to the Kiangwan front from
behind the Japanese lines revealed
that the race course had been reduced
to wreckage Numerous buildings were
torn and riddled by bombs, shells and
bullets.
The Chinese positions In Chapel were
ripped and blasted IS the Japanese, sue
cessful yesterday in Strengthening out
their line all the way from Chapel to
Woosung. swept down on Chapel from
the rear.
Then the ear-splitting bombardment
along the battlefront subsided, although
an occasional boom revealed that tn.
gunners were standing by. A heavy
smoke pail spread over the zone WITH
the usual morning fog that rolled II
over Shanghai.
Shanghai, which rocked throughout
the bombardment all yesterday, wa,
awakened this morning to learn what 9
real artillery preparation amounted to
Planes Drop Huge Bombs.
Batteries Of heavy japanese guns ir
Hongkew Park flung over ash-can pro.
jectiles. japanese airplanes punished
the Chinese with huge bombs. The
thunder from the front was unbroken
In comparison, yesterdays artillery &C.
ton seemed popgun.
The japanese had no monopoly OF
artillery action when the fighting wal
resumed this morning. Frequent burStl
of light from the Chinese gun position,
in Chapel, followed by reverberatint
roars, seemingly proved false the recent
reports to the effect that the Chtnes<
we're dangerously low on ammunition.
Amricans Raid Mill.
Trouble developed between the jap
anese command and the Americans or
guard duty in the Shanghai Interna'
tional Settlement. American Marines
raided q cotton mill near the Amext'
can lines in which numerous JapaneS,
soldiers were billeted.
The japanese announced they woule
file protest against the raid with tn
United States consulate. The Amert
cans, who had been hunting for sigma
apparatus, had made an unnecessaril!
thorough search, the japanese declared
even to invading the ladies' bath, which
WAS OccIlDied at the time
Marine officers said they had dis
covered not only signaling apparatus
but also quantity of munitions. II
the last few days, they explained, sew
eraI Japanese have been caught In tn
act of signaling from the American
sector.
In the deluge Of shells laid down b!