Imperial Valley press., 1932-02-09
CHINESE REPULSED
IN BITTER BATTLE
Furious Fighting Reported Over Twenty Mile Battle
Line AS Defenders Seek To Dust Invading Forces.
Shells Fall In Foreign Quarter


pating in the renewed lombard
ment. Their gunfire supported the
land artillery.
Position of the defending garri-
son remained uncertain although
Japanese claimed full control of
Woosung village.
A japanese airplane, Swooping
low over the village just before
dusk, struck the roof of house,
bounded clear, then plunged into
the river.
Pilot Rescued
japanese boats hurried to the
plane and rescued the pilot. He did
not appear to be badly hurt. The
damaged plane was salvaged.
The police said 80 shells fell near
DiXwell road station, in HongkeW,
the settlement district populated
chiefly by japanese. There was
some talk of evacuating all for
eigners. Thousands of resident
Japanese already have fled. 1t is
on the border of the native Chapel
district, scene of carnage for the
past fortnight.
Mrs. K. II. Robertson, wife of
an inspector in the BritiSh-con-
trolled municipal police, was wound
ed slightly when struck by three
bits of shrapnel. The shell fell in
front of her home in the western
residential district, three miles
from Dixwell road police station.
1t is in the British section.
A Chinese woman was wounded
while walking on the west bound
ary of the settlement, and miles
from the Hongkew sector. One
shell even fell in the French con-
ceSsion, clear across the breadth of
the international settlement, from
Chapel.
SHANGHAI, Feb. 9. UP)-Move-
ments of japanese forces outside
the international settlement were
seen as partly justifid today in the
report forwarded by the League of
Nations commission of inquiry.
The report, signed by Count Gal
eazzo Ciano, head of the commits
sion and son-in-law of Premier
Benito Mussolini of Italy, said:
1T must be understood that in
previous states of emergency jap
aneSe marines always maintained
posts along municipal roads outside
the actual settlement borders"
ice se. ~
notes that Admiral Koichi Shisawa,
commanding japanese forces, de-
manded that the Chinese withdraw
west of the railway even before
Japanse marines moved into the
positions demanded by the state of
emergency.
THE Chinese failed to comply
with Admiral ShisaWa's demands
The report said. 1T seems, more
over, that if they had decided to
comply it would have been impos-
sible to arrange within the short
time at their disposal for the with
drawal of the Chinese troops.
THE japanese marines subse-
quently met resistance by part of
the regular Chinese troops. The
Japanese then harassed a Chinese
armored train which took refuge in
the North Station, causing Jap
anese marines to bomb the station, !
destroying the train"
The report said buildings along
Paoshan road just outside Hong !
kew were set on fire by incendiary
bombs" and added that it was gen !
orally believed this was done de-
liberately to destroy vantage posts !
overlooking the Japanese lines. The |
casualties were undetermined, but
it is believed a considerable loss of |
life resulted"
Th commission pointed out that |
the japanese authorities contended |
their military actions were not con-
nected with the previously accepted
boycott demands, but based on ne
cessity of protecting the japanese +
population residing in the area
which they decided to occupy.
The brief truce arranged by Bfft-
iSh and American consular author
tiles was described in the report. |
1t said peace negotiations were pro-
crossing when the report was for
Warded to Geneva.