Evening star., 1947-02-26
Chinese Communists
And NationaIists Both
Claim Major Victories
by the Associated Press

NANKING, Feb. 2e.-Commu-
mist and pro-government sources
alike claimed major victories to-
day on Shantung province bat
tlefront of China.
Yenan radio credited the biggest
victory of the civil war" to Com
munist forces. At the same time, II
scoffed at last weeks announce
ment by Peng Hsueh-pei, govern
ment Minister Of Information. that
The army Of Gen. Chen-yi had been
utterly defeated"
Not only are Chen-yi's soldiers In
good health. the Yenan broadcast
said, but on February q his troops
"annihilated two whole Nationalist
armies plus another division in
Central Shantung Province"
Nationalists Claim Victory.
Pro-government interests coun-
tered with victory" report of their
own from the Suchow correspondent
Of the newspaper Hsin Min Pao.
The dispatch said the Nationalist
in Central Shantung had wiped out
two Communist divisions in 4S hours
of bloody fighting in the Poshan-
Laiwu area, that more than 100000
attacking Communists were repulsed
with heavy casualties and Red
morale badly shaken.
A government dispatch ad&ed de-
tails. It said the main body Of Com
munists had been encircled south
west of Poshan and were making
futile attempts to break out Of the
government ring along the Tientsin-
Pukow railroad. while Nationalist
columns converged on Tsowhsien
from the south to effect juncture
at Tsaohsien, and third column
drove a spearhead toward Chufow
the birthplace of Confucius. from
Tzeyang, 10 miles west of Chufow
~ Regiments Concentrated.
The Yenan report said the gov
ernment lost more than $4,000 mer
in savage battles which followed a
Communist counterattack on gov
ernment forces which captured Lini
Red capital in Shantung. The same
announcement said Generalissimo
Chang Kai-shek had concentrated
u regiments in the Southern Shan
tung campaign.
It added that the Communists
had destroyed the governments 73d
Army, 46th Army and the 36th Di-
vision of the 18th Army.
Communist field dispatches re-
ceived here also reported the Com
munists were attacking the outer
deferses of Tsinan, the provincial
capital OF Shantung, from three di-
rections. This is the second big
Communist attack reported in the
direction of Tsinan since last Au-
gust, when Communist vanguards
succeeded in penetrating to within
few miles of the city, only to De
driven of through the timely ar
rival OF Nationalist reinforcements.
10000 Menacing Taian.
Meanwhile, about 80 miles south
of Tsinan. 10000 OF Gen. Liu Po-
cheng's Communist troops were re-.
ported preparing to attack the Ma
city of Taian on the
-Pukow railway.
Still another Communist force,
said to number 100000 men, was re-
ported within "A miles Of Tsinan
and to be engaging the Nationalist
forces in fierce fighting.
Northwest of Tsinan, % miles up
the Tientsin-Puk railroad, Com
munists said they launched strong
attacks on Yuncheng. which guards
the Northern entrance to Tsinan.
The Nationalists were repeatedly
offering tenacious resistance.
In Southern Shantung, Ma
tionalist division which smashed
into the rail town of Tenghsien
February "a pushed on to the South
ern suburbs of Tsaohsien in what
was reported as relentless drive"
on the Communicated town. The
capture was expected momentarily.