Evening star., 1932-02-26

Japanese naval aviators, equipped
with heavy bombs, began a sweeping
campaign yesterday to destroy all Chi
nese aviation fields over wide district
around Shanghai, while on the short
sector northwest of Kiangwan the Jap
aneSe delivered another fierce attack
upon the Chinese without gaining much
ground.
A Japanese naval spokesman said late
in the afternoon that Japanese flyers
bombed the Chinese airdrome at Hang
chow, destroying number of Chinese
planes, and that they continued their
raids, bombing three additional fields
later in the day.
Planes Still Out.
Late yesterday, he said, they were
still out hunting additional Chi
nese fields in the vicinity OF Hanchow.
Upward Of a dozen Chinese planes were
destroyed by bombs, he said, before
they had a chance to leave the ground
and three were shot out Of the air by
machine guns. The japanese lost one
plane. which was forced down in
Hangchow Bay, where it sunk, he said,
but the pilot was picked up by jap
anese destroyer.
In the vicinity of the Japanese head
quarters, where several officers were
narrowly missed by Chinese bullets, the
bamboo groves were leveled and the
ruins of nearby homes we're completely
razed.
Four Chinese shells dropped near
Gen. Uyeda's headquarters last night
and staff officers said they expected
fresh counter attacks from Chinese po-
sitions at night. pointing out the Chi
nese attack only at night in order TO
avoid Japanese artillery and air bonn
bardment, against which they are de-
fenseless.
Military circles said Gen. Chang
Kai-Shek, former Chinese President, Is
on the way here with reinforcements
for the 10th Army and that he is ex-
pected to arrive late today.
Code messages from Japan to OBJ
servers here said the Japanese soon
would have full army corps here
under Gen. Yoshinori Shirakawa, that
one or two divisions already were on
the way and that three more divisions
were being mobilized.
Both Sides Digging In.
In view of this information and other
developments indicating that decisive
battle will be fought next week, both
sides were making haste TO reinforce
their positions.
The Chinese order prohibiting CORE
spondents to visit areas in the rear was
taken es an indication that Gen. Tsai Is
shifting his position, showing in fresh
troops who must march MANY miles be-
cause the railway lines have been
wrecked. The Chinese commander ap-
peared to realize the urgent necessity
of having all available troops in the
Kiangwsn district before the japanese
roi0fnrPnN1nnfC nFTiUa
Gen. Tsai told friends that he had
less than two weeks supply of ammu-
milton on hand and this problem seems
to be worrying him.
Reports that the Japanese reinforce
mentS were likely to land at eny mo-
ment was denied aboard their flagship,
the IdEumo.
American Women Aid.
American women are willingly a,d'rg
in this emergency. which ha5 flied
Shanghais hcscitals with wounded
soldiers, many of them mere boy
Mrs. O. J. Bryant Of San Francisco
and Mrs. Roscoe Hambleton Of Long
Beach, Calf, are on active 6uty at
the Chinese General Red Cross Hos
pital, where there also are four Amer
lean physicians-Dr. Athria Mowreath,
a Fort Worth, Tex. woman: DR.. J. r.
B. Branch of Loudoun County. Va; Or.
Love Ranking. Sweetwater, Tenn, and
DR. R. S. Lyman. Hartford. Conn.
They are putting in long hours with
cut complaint, for The wounded stream
into the wards day and night. They
see war at its worst, for only the most
serious cases are brought to their hos
pital. The others are treated at field
dressing stations.
The victims are appallingly young,
some Of them not more than IA or Is
boys who never will see again, children
who have lost legs and arms, others
frightfully wounded about the face.
Many cases are hopeless, but the
nurses do what they can TO make the
last hours as comfortable as possible
Today $50 were brought in, nearly
all Of them victims Of Japanese bomb
ing raids. Despite their wounds, many
of them clung tenaciously to their
precious rifles right up to the gates of
the Settlement. where soldiers of the
neutral forces confiscated the guns
IT'S a real satisfaction to help these
poor fellows" said Mrs. Hamhleton.
Every foreigner on this staff is going
to stay on the job until the emergency
is over"
The men behind the Japanese guns
in this war Of paradoxes are Chinese
coolies.
Forced TO Garry Munitions.
In addition to their own armed and
khaki-clad legions, the Japanese are
being assisted in their assaults upon
the Chinese 18th Route Army by large
groups of half-clad Chinese, who, under
force, carry the ammunition to the big
guns in the japanese forward position,
ammunition which Is to be used on the
pOO1ieS' ouT brotherS and Cousins across
the lines.
These coolies are taken forward each
morning by the Japanese in trucks.
They are searched for arms and then
carefully told off TO make certain none
of them have gone sniper."
After this they are set to work NOV
ing armaments and supplies to the front
line divisions. They man long line
of heavily loaded wheel barrows and
rickshaws which links up the supply
depots at the front in an almost un'
broken stream.
Not all Of these coolies come back.
Chinese fire and suffer casualties. Some
of them return, carried by their fellows
and heavily bandaged.
They wear white armbandS with
bamboo sprig as identification. They
are careful to maintain a studied atti-
tude of unconcern toward the tremen-
douS military activity that seethes
around them. Even the gaudily painted
tanks with scowling guns draw no more
than a glance from them as they rum
bic by.
When the day is over the coolies are
6 gain herded together at the point Of
the bayonet, checked of and taken
back to Shanghai.
Another army of Chinese coolies
works at the Japanese air field at
Yangtzepoo. leveling tt. field for the
japanese planes, building barbed wire
entanglementS, digging trenches and
moving boxes of explosives from ono
place to another. Several Shanghai
Chinese have complained that they
were waylaid by Japanese marines and
forced, at the guns point, TO help un-
load boxes from Japanese military
trucks. This was denied, however, by
To-