Evening star., 1932-02-08
Police Forced to Retreat.


So numerous were the shell hit!
around the settlement police station
near the Japanese headquarters that the
police were forced to retreat into the
basement and sandbag doors and win
dows
Explosions had broken all the Win
dowS in the station and had torn vi
the ground about it. The police force
had been holding their headquarter!
for 10 days in the face Of frequent shell
fire, but last nights action was the
worst they had yet faced.
DISPATCHES from Marking disclosed
that the government, temporarily func-
ticning at Honanfu, had succeeded in
uniting the several political factions III
the face of Japan's activities here.
The country has been divided into
four military zones, with Marshal
Chang Kai-Shek co-ordinating all
commands.
Chang Hsiao-Liang commands Hopei
Feng Yu-Hsiang is in charge of Shan
tlng ard Cheklang, Hanfuchu has been
split into two sections, with Ho Wing
Chin and Chen Ming Hsu in charge
OF the southeast portion, the southwest
under Chen Chi-Tao and Lii Tsung-Jen.
British Block Japanese.
The British volunteers, strung along
the settlement boundary near the
Chapel North Station, blocked Japa-
nese flank attack.
The Japanese moved along Ranger
road, trying to get around a British
pill box l. hey had succeeded they
could have soua along the Elgin road
and fallen upon the Chinese rear.
But the British threw up a sandbag
barricade at the end of Ranger road
and headed them of.
1t blocked the movement. but it left
the British in a delicate position, fac
ing the japanese in one direction and
the Chinese in the other.
Instead of sweeping across Woosung
yesterday and crushing the Chinese in
Chapei, tonight the japanese faced
steadily increasing opposition on the
whole 20-mile front from Chapel to
WooSung.
Incessant Firing in Chapel.
japanese bluejackets and soldiers to-
falling about 5000 were just about
where they were at the beginning of
the Woosung action.
They were still strung out along the
western bank of Woosung Creek, the
first hurdle before they can get into
Woodsung City. The city, in turn is
a natural barrier to any advance
against the forts which are on the
seaward side of the city, defying the
best efforts of japanese destroyers to
put them out of action.
japanese 6-inch guns were in action
again. A reliable report said they had
warned the Chinese command that If
they did not withdraw tomorrow still
larger guns would be brought up.
Terrain Increases Difficulty.
Just what they intended to do could
not be learned, but foreign observers
thought the reported warning meant
that naval guns of longer range would
be trained on Chapel and the Northern
area called Paoshan
Foreign military observers agreed
tonight, as one of them expressed It.
that the japanese don't realize the
tremendous job they have taken on in
trying to drive the Chinese out OF
Chapel with the available japanese
force"
Opinion among most of the military
and naval men here is that the tre-
-mendous size and difficult terrain OF
Chapel makes the task dOubly difficult
and it will take more soldiers than
Japan has thus far brought up to drive
the Chinese out.
Chinese Houses Occupied.
1t was difficult for observers to gel
close to Woosung, but the Associated
Press correspondent entered the zone
along the west bank occupied by the
japanese.
The japanese front line was at 6
considerable distance behind WooSune
Greek and the soldiers had occupied
large numbers of Chinese houses ans
other buildings. The headquarters wa!