Evening star., 1938-02-02
CHINESE IN R0UT,
JAPANESE ASSERT
Pengpu Capture Reported
in Major Battle for
Corridor.

6AChGROUNO-
japanese haze struggled for
tneeks to close 1s0-mile gap between
North China forces and conquerors
Of Yanotze Valley. Simultaneous
dripes pere launched from north
and south ,rith objective Suchow,
Junction OF Tstnpu and Lunghai
Railways. Gen. Chang Kai-shek,
yielding his administrative author
tty, took oper dctipe leadership of
Army dnd for time tide OF battle
appeared turned in favor Of Chinese.
., the Associated Press.
SHANGHAI, Feb. 2.-The Japanese
Army tonight announced its capture
OF Pengpu in the major battle rag
Ing northeast OF Marking, and de-
clared the Chinese retreats on that
front were turning rapidly into a rout.
The japanese asserted that in taking
Penspu. on the Hwai River just 30
miles south of the strategic railway
junction at Suchow, they had gained
the key to that junction, main prize
OF the present phase Of the Chinese
Japanese war.
Fengyang, on the Hwai east of
eengpu. also fell, the Japanese said.
Fighting Severe.
A Japanese communique declared,
Especially severe fighting preceded
the fall Of Pengpu Our forces
charged into the city over the battered
Chinese defenses."
Alrplanes were said to have PLAYED
. vital part in smashing the Chinese
defenses.
Chinese authorities neither con-
hrmed nor denied the Japanese ac-
counts. but said there still was heavy
lighting south OF Pengpu.
Chinese reinforcements moved for
ward by the thousands under heavy
ehellf1re to plug the widening gap in
southern defenses of China's lifeline
corridor.
The long-awaited major engagement
on the Tsinpu battlefront north Of
Nanking apparently was beginning.
An estimated halt million Chinese
and Japanese troops have been massed
for the struggle over the corridor,
where Generalissimo Chang Kai-shek
has urged his warriors to yield not a
single inch.
Artillery Covers Advance.
The Japanese advance was made
under heavy artillery and aerial bonn
bardment after occupation of Feng-
yang. is miles east and south Of
Pengpu, dispatches said.
Before the new advance, Japanese
had captured the towns of Linhwai-
kwan and Mingkwang on their north
ward march. Japanese pushing south
through Southern Shantung Province
toward Suchow apparently were be-
ing held back.
Chinese had kept the southern de-
fenses Of the corridor intact for a
month. The corridor, roughly paral-
leling the Lunghai and still $50 to ITS
miles wide, has kept Japanese from
uniting their gains into domain of
some 1i0,ooo,ooo population under a
government friendly to Japan.
New Fighting in North.
Both Chinese and japanese sent
word Of new fighting in North China.
Chinese said guerrilla detachments
continued to attack isolated Japanese
detachments in Hopen Province,
where Peiping, Tientsin and the main
railroads are in Japanese hands. One
irregular band, Chinese said, killed 100
Japanese southeast OF Paotingfu,
Hopeh capital.
After a long period of inactivity.
japanese forces moving southwark on
the Peiping-H Hankow Railroad
launched an attack in Northern Honan
Province under cover of heavy aerial
bombardment. Chinese asserted the
attack had been repulsed.
The Yangtze Valley war zone saw a
renewal of Japanese activities. Three
Varshlps were said to have attempted
q landing of Japanese troops above
Wuhu.