The Washington times., 1937-12-10

UOQAy, dCCOTQlIlS W UdpdIlCoS "a COS
dispatches, and bitter street fight
ing was raging within the city's
inner wall late this afternoon.
According to these reports, de
tachment Of Japanese troops de-
scended through the beleaguered
capitals outer wall from the north
east, Skirted Purple Mountain, bat
tered down TAPPING Gate and then
entered the inner city in the face
of suicidal Chinese resistance.
OUTER WALL BROKEN
At the same time, the japanese
reports said, other Nipponese
detachmentS made numero
breaches in the outer wall.
The combined Japanese forces
are now attempting to join within
the inner city, it was stated.
BY nightfall grim street fight
ing was spreading to many sec
tions of the already smoking and
partly demolished capital city.
It was claimed the Japanese
were making steady progress"
CHINESE RESIST
On the basis Of official mes
sages, Japanese commanders here
claimed the troops at the front
now hold Markings TAPPING and
Chungshan gates in the east wall,
the Hungwu gate in the southeast
wall, the Tungchi and Chupan
gates in the south wall and the
SuiShi gate in the southeast wall.
Other reports from the Chinese
capital, where the Chinese are
putting up a terrific battle, said
the city echoed and reechoed with
explosions as the Chinese blew up
bridges and other strategic points
within the city rather than let
them fall to the invaders.
Japanese shells crashed into out
lying streets and kept up a steady
hammering against the walls in an
effort to break still more breaches.
NEWSMEN IN EMBASSY
Severe fighting was revealed,
these advices said. by the sound
of machine-gun firing, which was
described as audible even in the
United States embassy. where a
party Of newspapermen have made
their headquarters.
Chinese officials in Nanking
claimed they had inflicted heavy
casualties on the Japanese-par.
ticularly at the gate Of glory"
where savage fighting was in
progress.
Street lights all over Marking
were eXtinguished, but in houses
and buildings in some sections
electric light was still available.
Messages from the battle front
reported that numerous suburbs
of Nanking blazed fiercely after
being set afire. One OF the great
est fires was reported burning at
Hsiakwan-a flaming testimonial
to Chinese determination to leave
nothing but "Scorched earth" to
the Japanese.
Half an hour after Japan's ulti-
matum threatening RELENTLESS"
destruction of Nanking expired
unanswered, Nippon's mechanical
forces drawn up at the walls of
the smoking Chinese capital un-
leashed a fierce assault today to
wreck the city and annihilate it's
100000 defenders. Hours later
the battle was still raging.
q. S. VESSEL ESCAPES
Meanwhile, it was learned that
the United States once again had
narrowly avoided becoming in
volved in the Sino-Japanese con-
flict. The American gunboat
Panay was rocked by bombs which
fell within 100 yards of the vessel
during a Japanese air attack on
the Pukow waterfront, near Nan
king, yesterday.
The Panay was not hit. At the
time of the attack the vessel was
carrying the last members of the
Skeleton staff of the American
Embassy at Nanking up the
Yangtze River to Sanchaiho.
It was rumored the japanese
plan-with ironic humor and orr
entail Symbolism-to take over"
Marking formally on Sunday, the
first anniversary of the kidnap-
ing Of GeneraliSsimo Chang.
HONOR EIPST EIIcur