Salt Lake Telegram | 1938-10-17 | Page 3 | Japanese Cut Vital Rail Line

JAPANESE CUT VITAL RAIL LINE HONG KONG Oct 17 UP The Japanese army announced t tonight night it had straddled the Kow Canton-Kow- loon railway at several points but reports from areas further north Indicated that the rapid Japanese drive toward Canton was meeting its first serious organized Chinese resistance Severe fighting was reported from about 40 m miles miles' es' es cast east of Canton in what appeared to be the first major battle to decide decide de de- de cide the fate of the south China metropolis and the vital supply lines radiating from it The Japanese announcing announcing announcing an an- the cutting of the Canton- Canton Kowloon railway chief link between between be tween the British colony of Hong Kong and Canton did not name the points affected but these were believed believed believed be be- to be between 15 miles north of the frontier frontier frontier fron fron- tier and halfway to Canton After driving 45 miles inland from the Bias bay landing point the Japanese Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- anese column thrusting toward Canton ran into a well entrenched positions near held by some C Chi Chinese h i n e s e troops equipped with field guns howitzers and anti-aircraft anti defenses Before meeting this resistance the Japanese invasion had made what military observers considered considered considered consid consid- ered amazing progress One of the forces which cut the Canton Kowloon r railway ail way was known to have been landed on the Pearl river delta to the west of the line Other forces crossed the East river after the capture of and fought their way up the Wai- Wai chow chow Canton Canton highway to within 50 miles of Canton Indications that the Japanese in intended intended intended in- in tended to drive straight on to the south China metropolis were seen in the fact that Japanese warplanes heavily bombarded Chinese Chinese Chinese Chi Chi- nese troop concentration point 45 miles east e of Canton Canton was placed under martial martial martial mar mar- law I railway station was hilby hit hil hit by 17 bombs yesterday and more than 20 persons were killed in extensive extensive extensive ex ex- Japanese air raids along the Canton Canton and the Can- Can ton-Kowloon ton railways near the city Communications ons between Hong Kong and Canton were completely paralyzed Telephone lines were down making confirmation of many reports impossible but it was generally generally generally gen gen- assumed the Chinese de defenses defenses defenses de- de were taking a terrific pounding pounding pounding pound pound- ing from air bombardments In man many instances it was re reported reported reported re- re ported Japanese planes meeting no opposition were diving continuously con con- to to within a few hundred feet of the ground and machine- machine gunning the Chinese Literally hundreds of hamlets and villages were reported razed or burning as a result of air attacks A new Japanese landing at Nam- Nam tau on the Pearl river delta near Hong Kong was vas reported to have been made yesterday with remarkable remarkable remarkable remark remark- able ease and lack of opposition