Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-11-06

nese farmers using hit-and-run tactics
are constantly upsetting Japanese mill
tary plans in North China.
But little has been written about these
guerrilla fighters, due to the Japanese
Army's success in preventing foreign cor
respondents from leaving the larger
cities to investigate rural conditions in
conquered China"
Hidden in the guerrilla camps are the
answers to many pertinent questions.
Who are the guerrillas?
Who are their leaders?
How are they supplied?
Are they really successful in fighting
against mechanical forces and how
long can they continue to fight?
To find the answers to these questions
the Associated Press sent a correspond
ent southwark from Peiping on June
II, 1888, with instructions to 60 through
the Japanese troop Gordon along the rail-
way, make contact with the guerrillas.
and If possible, proceed from 800 to
LOCO miles overland through guerrilla
territory to China's northwest capital
Sian.
Two and half months after he
slipped quietly out of Peiping the writer
completed this journey Zone of the few
white men to get through since the war
began)-on foot or horseback crossing
"a mountain ranges, visiting 10 military
headquarters commanding a total of
100000 armed farmers. All were linked
by telephone or radio operating from
central headquarters.
Man Power is Unlimited.
Man power resources of the guerrillas
are unlimited, for the population in their
territory now exceeds IS millions. Local
food supplies are more than ample.
Village arsenals are producing broad
swords, grenades and rifle ammunition
sufficient for constant sniping and SUR
prise attacks, but not for positional bat
ties such as Chang Kai-sheks armies
are fighting.
Guerrilla commanders believe they
can continue their Indian tactics for
years, thus forcing the japanese to
spend an extra billion yen a year in
their campaign to conquer China.
Such are the key facts gathered from
the journey through guerrilla land, but
the story is best told from the beginning
At the zero hour of a guerrilla at
tack, I arrived by train at Paoting, 90
miles south of Peiping. For two days
I took refuge inside the locked city
gates while armed Chinese farmers kept
up sporadic fire at the Japanese guards
on the medieval walls.
One squad of Chinese during the night
burrowed like moles under the city gate,
emerged behind the japanese sentries
and killed a score of guards sleeping
in the gate tower.
Day and night, the Japanese fired their
machine guns and artillery at apparently
empty fields, because the guerrillas were
hidden in the wheat stalks. No Japa-
nese ventured from the city.
Planes Found No Targets.
Their airplanes came from Tientsin,
but found no visible targets for their
bombs Both north and south of the
city railroad tracks had been torn up.
One military train had been derailed.
his was d SdIIlplc u Suc11lAid PoWcA
indicating how a mass of farmers armed
only with rifles could terrorize small
garrison whose artillery, tanks and air
force were useless against strategems
as old as the cavemen and as recent as
Sitting Bull.
OF course, the guerrillas cannot recap
ture the railways or the large cities but
by process of attrition as relentless as
the sea pounding against an anchored
ship, the Chinese hope to wear down the
Japanese power in prolonged war.
I slipped out of Paoting on a bicycle
flying the American flag. The Japanese
sentry shrugged indifferently, thinking I
was missionary on visit to the sub
urbs. At the first cart road headed for
the open country. had not proceeded
more than S miles when a squad OF
young Chinese leaped from behind a
grave mound and blocked the way. They