Evening star., 1937-08-03
Japanese Planes Bomb Chinese 80
Miles From Tientsin.

TIENTSIN. August B (P,.-Japanes'
war planes rained bombs on the van
guard Of the advancing Chinese Arm,
today at TehchoW, on the border O.
Hopeh and Shantung Provinces, 81
miles south of here
clumn of Japanese infantry, sup
ported by artillery and tanks, wa
pressing southward by forced marche!
to dispute the advance of the centra
government troops into Hopeh Prov.
ince.
Officially, Vice Minister Horinouch
rejected the protest on the ground
that Japan was not involved.
The Japanese troops were reported
to have reached point is miles south
of Tientsin. fighting scattered en-
gagements as they advanced. Jap.
anese headquarters reported, however
they had met no real resistance.
The advance brought the Japanese
within few miles of the eastern coll
unn of the 29th Chinese Army, now
being reorganized after their defeats
at Tientsin and along the line of the
railroad to Peiping.
The japanese advance to the south
was along the Tientsin to Pukow rail-
road, the same route the large bodies
of troops ordered to the north by the
central government were said to be
following The Tientsin-Pukow line
bisects Shantung Province and is the
Marking governments direct link with
the north.
Move to Control Hopeh.
The japanese movement to the
south from the general headquarters
at Tlentsin was the naturalization of
their long-expected thrust to gain a
deep enough front to assure strategical
and military control of Hopeh Prov
ince.
Scouting operations were reported
far afield in Shantung Province with
Japanese bombers attacking as far
south as Pingyuan, 80 miles below the
Hopeh border. Observation planes
were said to have flown over Tsin-
anfu, capital of Shantung Province
and 200 miles in direct line south
from Tientsin.
Authoritative advices said the spear
head OF the Chinese advance had
reached Techow and that independ-
ent units had already crossed the
border into Hopeh Province to bolster
the reorganization of the 2sth Army.
The APPROACH of the two armies
south OF Tlentsin turned virtually all
sections of Hopeh Province INTO a
field Of operations. Far to the north
japanese reported Chinese troops
from Shansi Province were massing at
Kalgan, just short of the Great Wall
and ll6 miles from Peiping. Chinese
asserted japanese planes had bombed
the Nankou Pass in the Great Wall
80 miles north of Peiping.
To the southwest of Peiping a LARGE
body of Japanese troops were march
ing against Paotingfu, former capital
OF Hopeh Province and concentration
point for the western column OF the
national Chinese armies. Chinese re-
ported the japanese were advancing
behind a screen of aerial lombard
ment.
Within the conquered areas of
Pelplng and Tientsln, Japanese ad-
officers were SYSTEMATIC
ally attempting to obliterate the last
vestiges Of the Marking governments
influence.
Under Japanese direction at Peip-
Ing police were conducting a house
toulouse search, destroying pictures of
Chinese nationalist leaders and burn
Ing nationalist literature. Chinese
we're warned future possession of such
things would be considered ''incrimi-
mating"
Unconflrmed reports said that Japa-
nese officials had formed list of l25
prominent Chinese who were being
tracked down and taken into custody.
1t was impossible to confirm the re-
port, but one of those listed was said