Evening star., 1938-01-04
JAPANESE TROOPS
DRIVING SOUTH Of
SHANTUNC CAPITAL
Cities More Than so Miles
From Captured Tsinan Are
Reported Taken.
INFANTRY SUPPORTED
BY BOMBING PLANES
War Craft Also Carry Destruction
to Chinese Air Base at Hankow.
70 Bombs Dropped.

BACkGROUND-
japanese closing in upon North
China seaport OF TSingtuo in cam
paign to clean up Shantung Prof.
ince. Thousands of Chinese face
entrapment as Nipponese aim at
cutting ratlUay lines, sole means
OF escape for large bodies OF de-
tending troops. At Shanghai rising
terrorism against Japanese brought
strong DEGREES by Shanghai Mu-
nicipal Council against unauth-
orized possession of arms.
B, the Associated Press.
SHANGHAI. Jan. 4.-Japanese in
fantry columns today drove deep into
the Holy Land of China"-Central
Shantung Province-and reported cap
ture OF cities more than so miles south
OF Tsinan. the already occupied pro-
vincial capital.
Domel, the japanese agency, in
a dispatch to Toxic said the Japa-
nese vanguard had captured Chufu,
70 miles south of Tsinan, where
Confucius, China's great sage, was
born in $50 BIC
(The japanese Army said it
would accord full protection to the
tomb Of Confucius at Chufu. to
the great Confucian temple there
and to the present Duke of Kung,
77th lineal descendant of the sage,
now chief ritualist of his temple)
Planes Aid Advance.
japanese bombing planes supported
the infantry advance by bombing
heavily many cities along the railways
behind the Chinese front, including
Suchow. the vital junction of the
Tientsin-Pukow and Lunghai Rail-
ways in North Kiangsu Province.
Suchow is the main objective of the
japanese armies driving southwark
through Shantung, and also another
force advancing northward above
Nanking. Its capture will give the
japanese all the trunk railway linking
Peiping and Tientsin with Nanking
and Shanghai.
Hank0w AlrbaSe Attacked.
Japan's warplanes also carried de-
struction into Central China in what
a japanese naval spokesman said was
a campaign to crush China's reor-
ganized airforce," including large
numbers Of Soviet planes"
Forty japanese planes from bases
near Shanghai flew to Hankow. nearly
600 miles up the Yangtze River, and
delivered a crushing blow at the new
Chinese airbase there. the spokesman
declared. He said all Japanese planes
returned safely.
Foreign reports from Hankow said
American and British gunboats in
the Yangtze River manned their guns,
ready to defend themselves against at
tacks by the Japanese air squadrons.
The planes, however, made no move to
molest the warships.
The japanese air raiders were said
to have dropped about 70 bombs, "a
majority missing their objectives. The
big Hanyang Arsenal appeared to be
the main object Of attack. Three
Chinese were killed and 16 injured. the
advices said.
Chinese declared their heavy anti
aircraft fire kept the attackers above
5000 feet while eight Chinese planes,
some flown by Russians" took the
air to drive them off, They said one
Chinese plane was shot down.
Admit 5000 Casualties.
Chinese admitted they had suffered
5000 casualties in fierce fighting for
control Of the Shantung railways, but
declared Japanese losses also were
heavy.
Chinese reports that Hangchow,
capital of Chekiang Province. had been
recaptured from the japanese were
fatty denied by Japanese Army officers
IN Shanghai. Informed foreign au-
thorities placed little credence in the
Chinese reports. The japanese point
ed out that they had restored service
for military purposes on the railway
linking Shanghai with Hangchow, 100
miles to the southwest, and declared
they were fully in control of the Hang
crow vicinity.