Evening star., 1938-05-29

BY the Associated Press.
SHANGHAI, May 20 Sunday
Chinese made steady gains today in
their central front counter-often
which has developed into one of the
heaviest engagements of the unde-
clared war.
Major fighting centered about Lam
feng, whose recapture by Chinese
brought one of the rare japanese ad-
missions of defeat. Besides taking
Lanfeng, key to China's ancient cap
ital, Kaifeng, on the Lunghai Rail-
way. Chinese reported they had cap
tured Lowang, eight miles west OF
Lanfeng
Claim Strategic FOrdS.
Chinese also said they held strate-
gic Yellow River fords at Mengh-
sien. 100 miles still farther to the west.
North of the river Japanese were said
to have abandoned Wenhsien.
CAT Peiping a Japanese spokes-
man said reinforcements were on
their way to the Lanfeng sector
from the north. southeast and
east. He said Japanese had aban-
doned Lenfeng voluntarily as part
of their necessary strategy)
japanese told of one success-cap-
ture of the city of Kweiteh. new
base for intensihcation Of the Jap
anese drive westward toward Cheng-
chow. junction of the Lunghai and
Peiping- -Hankow Railways.
The Chinese central front gains
came as Canton rescue workers count
ed 1900 casualties in South China S
most severe air bombardment.
600 Killed at Canton.
Reports from Canton said the dead
In Yesterdays air raids were estimated
officially at 900 and the injured at 900.
The intensity of the raid was re-
rarded as further evidence the Japa-
nese now are embarking on a large
scale campaign to stop the movement
OF munitions through South China.
The Chinese press earlier had re-
ported the arrival of 5000 Japanese
troops at Annoy. off the Fukien Prov
tnce coast, and the basing Of a squad
ron of japanese planes on Quemoy
Island. near Annoy.
The Canton raids were directed
chiefly at the Wongsha Railway sta
ton district, through which men and
munitions have been moving to Cen
tral China,
Although admitting the Chinese
were counterattacking heavily in the
Lanfeng area, the japanese asserted
enemy casualties already totaled TO-
600 in the encounter.
While a main japanese force was
engaged in the drive westward along
the Lunghai, other columns moved
south of the railway in an encircllng
movement designed to cut the Peiping-
Hankow Railway below Chengchow
and advance on the city fro nthe
south.
In the Suchow area, the Japanese
reported rail traffic had been resumed
on the Tientsin-P -Pukow Railway south
of the Lunghai and that full COM
munication between the Japanese
controlled areas in North China and
the Yangtze Valley soon would be
established
Air Raid Threatened.
In Shanghai, it was learned, the
Shanghai Municipal Council and the
British Chamber of Commerce had
received letters purporting to come
from the Chinese Aeronautical Com
mission stating Japanese e-controlled
areas of the city soon would be
bombed intensively.
The letters generally were regarded
as a hoax, but the Japanese were re-
ported carefully patrolling the air.
A Hankow dispatch said japanese
aerial attacks on Haichow, eastern
terminus of the Lunghai Railway, had
wrecked woman's scheel and
church of the Southern Presbyterian
Mission. No foreigners were injured.
Another belated report of damage
TO American missions came from
Tatung. ITO miles southwest of Nam
king, which was attacked by japanese
gunboats and aircraft Wednesday. An
American Church Mission building
was destroyed.