CHINA: Japan Shanghaied

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Japan's promised "Big Drive" into China began at Shanghai last week with every modern weapon (except poison gas) including "crawling dragons."

Eighteen hours after the Japanese drive was launched it was 16 hours behind Japanese Lieut.-General Kenkichi Uyeda's carefully planned schedule. Not since Royal Belgium delayed Imperial Germany has an overwhelming onslaught been so spectacularly delayed.

Japanese soldiers, once their advance got completely behind schedule, fought with mounting ferocity which presently became "frightfulness." Neutral white witnesses reported with horror how Chinese civilians were shot down, how Chinese property in the form of houses, barns, hay and grain was ignited by the Japanese.

Such is war, as General Sherman said in 1864, and as Shanghai saw last week. The Japanese commander, General Uyeda, was personally desperate. He knew he might have to commit hara-kiri if his offensive got much further behind schedule, and during the first 18 hours he changed his General Staff Headquarters three times: 1) a Japanese cotton mill; 2) a Chinese cottage; 3) Ti Futan University.

How was the Japanese drive slowed up? Chinese heroism was not enough to stem the onslaught. Royal Belgium held out so long chiefly because her own able fighters had had so much previous assistance from the French General Staff. Last week "Three Germans" (men of a certain mystery but all experienced veterans of the World War) were said to be assisting the Chinese defenders of Shanghai.*

Thus last week three of Japan's 20 "crawling dragons," tanks of formidable power, were wrecked as they advanced, merely by treading upon Chinese land mines. That way of crippling a "crawling dragon" the Chinese may have thought up themselves, or they may have been told by the "Three Germans."

Battles. What Japan had set out to conquer was the Woosung Forts 16 miles from Shanghai; the Chinese district in Shanghai called Chapei; and the land between Shanghai and Woosung. Most spectacular feature of this intermediate terrain last week was Shanghai's $1,000,000 race course. It adjoined the town and railway station of Kiangwan.

Around two sides of the terrain bends the Whangpoo River, thus putting much of the theatre of warfare at the mercy of Japanese fleet guns. Japan also possessed command of the air. Her land artillery was superior to the Chinese. Therefore, General Uyeda was not, from the Japanese standpoint, unduly optimistic when he planned to complete his entire drive within 18 hours. The drive was timed to begin on Japanese election day (see p. 22) and Premier Inukai of Japan assumed that in such circumstances his Seiyukai Party could not fail to win the Japanese Election.

General Uyeda at 7:30 a. m. launched his military attack, striking straight for the race course, and expecting to occupy Kiangwan (just beyond) within two hours. Advancing in skirmish formation, the Japanese soldiers prudently took cover behind each tree or hummock before advancing to the next, and ahead of them a Japanese barrage of overwhelming power advanced, blowing the Chinese out of their trenches. Thus there was very little bayonet work.