Evening star., 1932-02-07

lines during the last few days, standing
up under heavy bOmbardment, were re-
lieved during the night.
The Japanese are opposing the 18th
Route Army, supposedly the best fight
ing outfit in the country, but by Western
standards they appeared deficient in
training and short Of equipment.
The most impressive thing about
these troops is their extreme youth.
Many of them seem to be no more than
"A years old, but they took their hazard
Gus position with as much stoicism as
any veteran could show.
Some Garry Antiquated Weapons.
They were armed in all sorts Of fash
ions. Some OF them carried antiquated
long -barreled pistols, and some had
obsolete rifles. Only a few of them
were equipped with steel helmets, and
these obviously had been salvaged from
the japanese.
The whole countryside to the rear of
the Chinese line has been covered with
an intricate system Of trenches. In eX-
nosed spots sand-bag shelters have been
put up.
Although roads leading away from
the front were jammed with Chinese
refugees, a considerable civilian popu-
lation remained not far from the lines.
The Nanking road was so crowded
that it was difficult to get an automo-
bile through the plodding refugees
Other safety seekers, bending low under
heavy loads of household goods, march
ed along the tracks of the railway lead
ing to Nanking.
These refugees had learned the
technique CT self-preservation against
airplane bombing. Now and again a
Japanese plane could be heard in the
darkness overhead and each time the
Chinese flung themselves to the ground,
face down.
While air raiders were showering
bombs on Chapel yesterday afternoon
If was reported that two American
mission houses within the International
Settlement had been attacked.
PRESBYTERIAN Mission Shelled.
One report was that Japanese blue
Jackets forcibly entered and ransacked
the American Presbyterian Mission and
press on North SZchuen road, well
within the area occupied by the Jap
anese, despite the fact that an official
notice of the American consul was
nailed up on the entrance to the
property.
Offcials of the Board of Foreign
Missions of the Presbyterian Church in
New York said they had no reason to
believe their mission in Shanghai had
been ransacked. They said the boards
mission might have been confused with
mission press. formerly owned by
the board but sold January l. Whether
ir-in
Americans these officials did not know
The mission of the American Metho-
dist Episcopal Church South, in Hong
kew. which was ransacked by japanese
blueiackets last week, was shelled by
light artillery and officials who were
in the building trying to find out how
much damage had been done by the
blueiackets, retired under shell fire,
Whether the projectiles came from
Japanese or Chinese guns was not
known.
Two big air raids were put on yes
terday by the Japanese. Shortly be-
fore noon IA planes appeared over the
italian settlement and Chapel and soon
bombs were raining down. The attack
was brief but at 8 o'clock the planes
swept out of the mists over the lower
Yangtze and dropped new loads OF
death and destruction.
Gunners Open Up on Planes.
Then the artillery and machine guns
got going. Chinese anti-aircraft gun
ners opened up on the planes at 4:3C
pm, but the ships continued their
maneuvers, dropping their charges ai
they picked out their objectives on the
ground.
Observers of the battle did not see
any Japanese planes brought down
Apparently determined not to suffer