THE SITUATION IN CHINA
I
ACTIVITIES OF THE JAPANESE MILITARY FORCES
BUREAU OF INFORMATION, WAR DEPARTMENT
A Fresh Campaign Near Pakhoi
At noon, November 15th, the Imperial Headquarters issued a communique announcing that "The crack units of the Japanese military and naval forces in close co-operation carried out a surprise landing near Pakhoi early the same morning despite inclement weather conditions and are now vigorously advancing inland."
The fresh campaign had been directed not only against Pakhoi, which was the one sea-port left to the Chiang Kai-shek Government communicating with the outside world through which war supplies were obtained, but also against Kwangsi Province, and the route thereto from French Indo-China over which came large quantities of arms and munitions. How much the Chungking Government suffers from the successful Japanese operations in Western Kwangtung and Southern Kwangsi Province may be easily imagined.
Movements of the Chinese Troops
West Kwangtung and South Kwangsi, where the latest operations have been taking place are held by troops under General Chang Fa-kuei, who is responsible for the defence of the so-called 4th war zone. Several divisions of the Kwangsi army are also garrisoning various towns. The people as well as the troops in these two districts never having been in contact with our army, have been carrying on an anti-Japanese agitation of the most virulent form, misled by Chungking's false propaganda.
The topography of Western Kwangtung and Southern Kwangsi Province is mostly mountainous, with cliffs along a greater part of the coast, thus adding to the difficulties of landing operations.
An Outline of the Development of Operations
A strong body of troops, in close cooperation with the Navy, effected a surprise landing at a point on the Gulf of Tongking at 5 a.m., November 15th, by defying the inclement weather which had prevailed for a few days with an 18-metre wind and correspondingly high seas. After routing the enemy near the point of landing, this unit immediately struck inland and took Fangcheng that same evening. Continuing their drive northwards along roads which were veritable quagmires, Lungtowshihtsun was reached on the evening of November 17th, the advance to Tachihhan and Wanghaichang being completed on November 19th.
Another powerful body had meanwhile sailed up the River Lungmen, braving the tempest and effected a landing near Lungmen Island towards dusk on the 15th. The following morning, this body reached the mouth of the Yuhung River. After dispersing the enemy who offered stiff resistance in the adjoining rice fields, this force advanced to and occupied Taitze on the 17th.
A second column successfully set foot near the mouth of the River Yam late on the 16th and immediately drove upon Yamchow, the capital of the prefecture of that name, which city was occupied the following day. Three days later it reduced Chiulunghsu, Taikanhsu and Naling, one detachment advancing to Hsiaotung. The Chinese troops confronted in the sector numbered more than three divisions.
Those Chinese that attempted to hold out at Tachihhan, some half-a-dozen battalions all told, were virtually wiped out by the Japanese forces which, keeping up their drive in a northern direction, captured Tatangshu on the afternoon of November 19th. A section reached a point near Tangpaohsu, some 30 kilometres from Nanning, former capital of Kwangsi Province.
Exerting concerted pressure along all sectors in a converging movement on Nanning and steadily reducing the enemy resistance, the Yu River was reached between November 22nd and 23rd. The Chinese troops had taken up positions along the banks and put up desperate opposition, but could not prevent the capture of Nanning which occurred at 2 p.m., November 24th, within ten days of the landing at Yamchow Bay.
The occupation of that important centre spelt the loss to the Chungking Government of the main artery of its arms supply.
Results of the Campaign
From the date of the Pakhoi landing and up to November 18th,
the Chinese forces left 1,108 dead on the field, losing 508 prisoners. Booty included 7 heavy machine-guns, 8 light machine-guns, a large number of rifles and an enormous quantity of ammunition.
The Japanese losses were 49 killed and about 100 wounded.
II
ACTIVITIES OF THE IMPERIAL NAVAL FORCES
PUBLICITY BUREAU, NAVY DEPARTMENT
Surprise Landing Near Pakhoi
A similar communique to the one emanating from the Military Information Bureau was issued by the Publicity Bureau of the Navy regarding the landing near Pakhoi.
This was followed by an announcement of the Naval Information Section of the Imperial Headquarters, that "Warships under command of Vice-Admiral Shiro Takasu, Supreme Commander of the Japanese Naval forces in South China waters, sailed from some port on an undisclosed day of November, escorting a group of military transports and arrived off Pakhoi early in the morning of November 15th, despite the heavy seas, high winds and darkness. The military detachments succeeded in landing near Pakhoi under cover of the warships and are now striking inland."
At 6 p.m., the same day, another communique from the same source followed. It read:
"A naval detachment this morning landed near the point where the military forces had previously obtained footing. After wiping out the remnants of Chinese troops in the locality, the landing party promptly completed construction of a base for sea-planes, which planes are now cooperating with the ground forces notwithstanding the rain and wind."
As stated in these communiques, the naval forces, which had been blockading the South China coast, succeeded in carrying out surprise landing operations near Pakhoi, a strategically important port in South China, in close co-operation with the military forces, despite inclement weather conditions.
Pakhoi, a treaty port in Western Kwangtung Province, was opened to foreign commerce in 1877 under the terms of the Chefoo treaty of 1876 between England and China. There is no good port in South China west of Luichow (Leichou) Peninsula outside of Pakhoi and Hoihow (Haikow) on Hainan Island.
Pakhoi forms a distributing centre for Western Kwangtung Province, being fed by Limchow, Yamchow, Lingshan and other
towns in the hinterland to which it is connected by motor roads, and was the last sea-port in the control of the Chiang Kai-shek régime. A large quantity of arms, ammunition and petroleum had been imported into China through Pakhoi previous to the commencement of the operations cited. Pakhoi is known as a "white town," because the roofs and walls of buildings are painted white. The population is estimated at some 65,000.
Following the tightening of the blockade of the Central and South China coast, Pakhoi became the centre of much smuggling. Especially remarkable was the increase in its foreign trade, both incoming and outgoing, from June, 1939, after the fall of Swatow.
The Pakhoi Incident Recalled
Pakhoi, it may be recollected, was the scene of an incident which occurred in 1936. Anti-Japanese agitation was then rampant in the whole district, instigated by detachments of the old 19th route army commanded by General Wen Chao-Yuan, to which movement a Japanese resident became victim. On the evening of September 3rd, several Chinese broke into a drug-store, Maruichi, kept by a certain Japanese, Junzo Nonaka, and butchered him as he was at supper.
Mr. Junzo Nonaka had been a resident of the town for many years, his wife being Chinese. He had devoted himself to the cause of promoting friendly relations between Japan and China, yet he was murdered by agitators without provocation or justification. This insensed Japanese feelings and resulted in a concentration of warships at Hoihow (Haikow), on Hainan Island, whilst a full investigation was carried out.
The sea off Pakhoi is at most times rough, being subject to monsoons, and the region itself is an unhealthy one. The difficulties experienced by the invaders on this account may well be imagined.
At noon, November 16th, the Imperial Headquarters gave out the following Communique:
"1. The Japanese military detachment operated so smoothly that the bulk of the force was completely landed by noon, November 15th. The main body of the detachment started an advance inland in wet and stormy weather. By evening it reached within striking distance of a strategically important place.
"2. The Japanese Yamagata detachment, which sailed to an undisclosed place, succeeded in effecting a heroic landing, battling the raging elements for fully ten hours and threading a way through reefs in the face of stiff resistance from the Chinese defenders on shore. These were completely routed.
"3. The weather conditions continued to be very bad and threatening last evening, with no decrease in wind velocity."
Surprise was a great factor in the signal success achieved by the Japanese. The operations near Pakhoi mean the complete blockade of the South China coast, while the occupation of Western Kwangtung Province, including strategically important points, has resulted in cutting-off the last sea-route for arms supply to the Chungking Government. Another glorious page has thus been added to the annals of the Navy, which has been blockading 2800 miles of China coast, and the recent success will be an important factor in the establishment of a new central government of China, which is now under way with Wang Ching-wei as central figure.