Evening star., 1938-10-16
JAPANESE SEVER
CANT0N'S LINKS
WITH HONG KONG
Railway and Highway Spans
Destroyed by Aerial
Bombardments.
BOOMS IN PEARL RIVER
BAR ASSAULTS BY NAVY
Spearhead of Army of 10000 Is
Reported IL Miles From
Kowloon Railroad.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
japanese erpeditionary force OF
more than 10000 men landed on
South Chin dcoast earlier this
Deek in drtue against Canton,
pital link In China's foio OF ,Dar
supplies from Hong Kong Jap
anese haze advanced steadily ,yith-
ont meeting serious Chinese resist
ance. Chinese cipilians fleeing from
Canton and surrounding district.
By the Associated Press.
HONG KONG, Oct. 15-All COM
munications between this British
crown colony and Canton were inter-
rupted tonight as japanese forces
broadened their onslaught on the
South China Coast.
Railway and highway bridges had
been destroyed .at several points by
the aerial bonn mbardments which shield
ed Japanese expeditionary forces driv-
ing toward Canton and across its links
with the coast.
Bombs had been placed in the Pearl
River to guard the city from direct
naval assault. A Japanese landing on
the west short of the River Delta cut
a highway connection between Canton
and Portuguese Macao opposite Hong
Kong at the river mouth.
The japanese were reported to have
struck on the west Delta shore
apparently the second major landing
of ha >F
an intense aerial bombardment The
highway was cut before provincial de-
fenses in that sector could be organ
lied
Drive West From Tamshui.
A japanese column, part of he
model arm of 10000 which landed
Wednes. ~ at Bias Bay. was thrusting
westward from the captured and
ruined village Of Tamshui One report
placed this spearhead within IL miles
Of the Canton -Kowloon Railway
This railway is q lifeline link be-
tween Hong Kong and Canton. The
japanese column was reported showing
It's way through numerically greater,
but still largely disorganized Kwang-
tung and Kwangsi provincial troops.
This part Of the invasion was taking
place within IS miles Of the Hong
Kong frontier
The Japanese counsul general at
Hong Kong was notified by the Toxic
foreign office that severe combat was
expected within a radius of l25 miles
around Canton and within a 60-mile
radius Of Swatow. Kwangtung province
port about 225 miles east of Canton.
Representatives of foreign powers
were requested to notify their nation
ais that to travel in these war zones
was unsafe and that Japan could not
guarantee their protection.
Waichow Reported Taken.
The japanese reported capture of
Waichow. north of Bias Bay Wal
chow was in the path of a separate
offensive either directly on Hong
Kong, 80 air miles away, or against
the Canton Hankow Railway and
other connections with the interior to
Canton's north
Chinese would not admit that Wal
chow had fallen, insisting that the
provincial armies of several hundred
thousand men were stiffening their
resistance for a tremendous defense
of the river metropolis.
There were reports of mysterious
air raid on the japanese fleet at Bias
Bay, leading to speculation on
whether Soviet Russian-made planes
might be operating from some deep
interior base in defense of South
China. The reports lacked official
confirmation.
Submarines Reported.
There was another report that six
japanese submarines had joined the
Bias Bay naval force.
There was large naval concentra-
ton in South China water-represent-
ing not only Japan, whose warships
and aircraft carriers were strung out
along the coast-but other powers
with interests in China.
In Hong Kong Harbor base of the
British China squadron there was a
United States submarine flotilla with
two destroyers, which had come from
Manila. A French cruiser also was
present. There were four British
cruisers, six destroyers and two mine
laying submarines just arrived from
Singapore, as we'll as numerous auxil-
iary craft.