Evening star., 1937-10-22
CHINESE REVAMP
SHANGHAI DEFENSE
Heavy Reinforcement Sent
to Tazang Sector to Pro-
tect Supply Lines.
Ey the Associated Press.

Ey the Associated Press.
SHANGHAI. october 22.-Deter-
mined to save Tazang at all costs and
prevent their Chapel supply lines be-
ing cut, the Chinese tonight threw
heavy reinforcements into that sector,
where the longest and fiercest single
battle of the Shanghai war was in
progress.
Chapel is the native quarter of
North Shanghai, bordering on the
International Settlement. Five miles
out along the battle line extending
northwest is Tazang.
The Chinese troops, pushing into
the combat zone from five different
routes. converged on Japanese troop
bases along Wentsaopang Creek, near
Tazang.
A Chinese spokesman reported the
recapture of five villages near Japa-
nese positions, including place called
The Temple of the Big Black Prince,
which was used as Japanese base.
Close Quarter Fighting.
Furious close quarter fighting oc-
Cured there. with the Chinese using
bayonets. big swords and rifles.
The Japanese said they made fur
ther progress toward Tazang. This
report was partially supported by OBJ
servations of foreign military officers,
who spotted machine gun and rifle
fire from Chinese defenses on the out
skirts of the town itself.
A Chinese spokesman asserted that
Chinese troops recaptured Kwangfu,
an important point on the road to
Kiating, where the japanese. after
destroying every building, retreated
nearly a mile.
Earlier, japanese army officer had
announced the japanese had pushed
back the Chinese few hundred yards
to occupy Kwangfu.
A Chinese airman dropped bombs
along the Whangpoo River water
front opposite the International Set
tlement. A huge cloud of smoke
enveloped the Japanese flagship Id
Zumo, but it was not believed to be
damaged
Shells from Chinese batteries in
Pootung, across the Whangpoo River
from Shanghai. fell in the Japanese
occupied Hongkew section of the In
ternational Settlement. Two of the
projectiles struck a British-owned
unoccupied apartment building.
Warships Join in Barrages.
Artillery and trench mortars
doomed increasingly. Japanese war
ships in the Whangpoo Joined in the
barrages laid down by japanese field
pieces. Repeated Chinese air raids
kept japanese anti-aircraft guns in
constant action.
Chinese incendiary bombs started a
heavy fire in the eastern Pootung sec
ton. A shell exploded outside po-
lice station in the YangtzepOo area OF
the Settlement, but go policemen es-
capped injury.
Huge fires blazed in Chapel, north
of the foreign area. japanese naval
officials admitted a japanese bomb
ing plane was shot down near Nansl-
ang, IL miles west of Shanghai. but
said other bombers inflicted extensive
damage on Chinese munitions depots
and communication lines.
Japanese also said their aircraft
killed hundreds of Chinese fleeing
from Kwangfr and that ground forces
had cut their way through Chinese
lines within slightly more than a
mile of Tazang.
Taking cognizance of such reports
for the first time, the japanese
Shanghai news said IL Soviet planes
had arrived at Lanchow, in the north
west Province Of Kansu.
DISPATCHES from Tientsin said that
japanese were preparing for new
drive on Tsinan. Shantung Province
capital. japanese denied there had
been any retirement along the Shan
tung front. Shipment of Japanese
supplies to the south, however, was
hindered by floods which washed out
railway lines japanese forces were
reported depending almost entirely on
Grand Canal barges which were ex-
posed to the fire of Chinese raiders.
One Chinese report on the Shanghai
battle was that 10000 japanese troops
were in danger of being cut off from
their base near Wentsaopang Greek.
IL miles northwest of the city.
Aim of Chinese.
Chinese said they hoped to encircle
the japanese force by driving three
columns, totaling 10000 men into a
japanese spearhead near Tazang.
The Chinese central government at
Nanking decided to exempt from i'm
port duties all medical supplies and
surgical instruments to relieve press
ing needs of the war wounded.
The government announced that
Chinese destroyed % Japanese planes
in the last three days, including "a
near Taiyuan, in Shansi Province.
lin Toxic foreign Office spokes-
man indicated Japan will plead
lack of time in which to make prepa-
rations and ask a postponement of
the Nine-Power Conference on the
Chinese situation, to be held at Brus-
sells october 30)
japanese planes bombarded the
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