Evening star., 1937-07-28
Four We're Trying
to Reach Port
of Tientsin.
PUNITIVE STEPS
TAkENBYTOkIO
tissue of Battle" Is
Accepted by
Marking.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Fighting betWeen japanese and
Chinese troops started July at
the Marco Polo Bridge near Peiping.
japanese troops. on night manen-
rers. ,oere part OF force maintained
to keep road from Peiping to sea
open.
Japan has insisted upon her pref
erentidl rights in the economic de-
Deloprent of North China. In
turtherance OF this demand Japan
has insisted upon ousting OF anti
japanese elements OF 18th Chinese
Army stationed at Peiping.
BULLETIN.
PEIPING, July % lF) (By United
States Embassy wireless to Shang-
haD.-The majority Of the 672
American civilians in Peiping took
refuge in the United States En-
bassy compound tonight at the
close of the first day of major
Chinese-Japanese hostilities in
this area.
BY the Associated Press.
TIENTSIN. China, July 28-Chi-
japanese munitions ships to turn back
from the mouth of the Hal Ho River
after attempting to reach Tangku
port of this Japanese military head
quarters in the undeclared war be-
tween China and Japan.
Westward, sanguinary fighting, with
conflicting claims of success, made an
all-day battlefront of the Peiping area
At the Hal Ho mouth, Chinese
troops opened fire from the banks as
soon as the four japanese steamers
hove in sight. After they had turned
back into the Gulf Of Chilli Japanese
cutters appeared, returned the Chinese
fire. and escorted q transport safely
into Tangku.
Then the japanese command
warned all shipping to take shelter
pending punitive activities on sea and
land Japanese troops moved up to
drive the Chinese from Taku. on the
opposite bank Of the river from
Tangku.
The two places are about IS miles
east of 11entsin.
Report Barracks Taken.
The japanese high command claim
ed complete occupation of the Chinese
barracks at Nanyuan. a stronghold in
the Peiping defenses south Of the for
n1er capital.
They asserted that superior Japa-
nese artillery and aviation proved the
deciding factors in a bitter battle in
which the Chinese yielded two undis-
closed key positions north of Peiplng
Chinese reports that their 29th
Army took Fengtai. Japanese military
base south of Peiping, and recaptured
Langfang were denied by the Japa-
nese.
They admitted, however, that a
Chinese attempt to surround Lang
fang. which commands the japanese
military railroad line midway be-
tween here and Peiping, necessitated
hasty reinforcements there.
Reliable foreign sources esti-
mated that the Chinese quickly
could call about 100000 troops to
the Peiping front from the central
government army and armies in
and bordering on the Hopeh-Cha-
l1ar Provinces. The central gov
ernment, they said, also possesses
800 flrst-class fighting planes at
scattered bases throughout China.
The japanese we're said to have
concentrated $4,000 or 10000 SOL
diers in the Tientsin-Peiping area,
with sufficient reserve guard
strength to throw all their effec-
tives into battle at once. About 80
Japanese planes have been COL
lected here.
More Flyers Are Dispatched.
Foreshadowing swift extension of
Japan's aerial warfare, additional
japanese aviation officers few here
today from Japan to organize a gen.
eral air corps headquarters.
The Nanyuan barracks. japanese
military communiques declared, were
demolished by combined mass
aerial bombardment and all-day
artillery pounding which took heavy
toll OF Chinese lives.
Reinforcements of japanese troops
equipment and supplies, meanwhile
(See I1ENTS1N, Page A-5)
fE Die Ac 0l AAc