LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Communicated to the C.205.M.133.1959-VII.Council and Membersof the League. Geneva,July 5th,1939.

COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHINESE DELEGATION.

(Translation) Geneva, July 1st, 1939.

To the Secretary-General:

In continuation of the note I addressed to you on March 1st, 1939*# I have the honour to bring to your notice some of the facts which occurred between January and the end of May, 1939# concerning the indiscriminate bombardment and killing of Chinese non-combatants and the wilful destruction of non-military objectives by the Japanese forces.

I would ask that you be so good as to transmit this communication to the members of the Assembly, the Council, and the Advisory Committee, for information and consideration.

I have the honour to be, etc.

(Signed): H00 CHI-TSAI,Director of the Permanent Office of the Chinese Delegation to the League of Nations.

Some facts concerning the Indiscriminate bombardment and killing of Chinese non-combatants and the destruc­tion of non-military objectives by the Japanese forces,

January - May, 1939»

January 6th - 3 Japanese aeroplanes carried out a raid onYuanhua and Tungyuan, in the Bay of Hongchow, inflicting con­siderable losses.

January 7th - 9 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 118 bombs on Hengyang (Hunan), killing 118 and wounding 5 civilians; 7 houses were deomolished.

8 Japanese aeroplanes bombed the surroundings of the port of Taoyuan (Hunan); they dropped 15 bombs, killing 7 per­sons and wounding 7; 18 houses were demolished.

* See document C.8 6 .M.46.1939«VII.

January 8th - 9 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 30 bombs on Hengyanc (Southern Hunan) ; 29 civil Ians were killed and 33 wounded;22 houses were demolished. Hsiangyang (Southern Hunan) was attacked by 15 Japanese aeroplanes, which dropped a large number of projectiles on the suburbs,

Laihochiao (Hunan) and dropped j 8 bombs. The number of vic­tims was 8 killed and 6 wounded; 2 houses and 2 boats were demolished.

Some 12 Japanese aeroplanes repeatedly bombed several quarters of the town of Taoyuan (Hunan), dropping over 100 bombs. 73 persons were wounded and 128 houses demolished,

January 9th - 7 Japanese aeroplanes bombed Pakhoi, e treaty port on the south-western coast of Kwangtung; they machine-gunned the streets and dropped 20 bombs, smashing a number of junks to pieces nd killing or wounding some 12 fishermen.

January 10th - 19 Japanese aeroplanes, divided into 2 squadrons, carried out an intense bombardment of several places in the province of Szechwan for an hour, dropping about 200 bombs.

The former capital of Kwangsi, Nanning, was bombed by 9 Japanese aeroplanes.

26 Japanese aeroplanes carried out two circular flights over Shasi, a port on the Yang-Tze in the province of Hupeh; they dropped 2 bombs weighing 200 lbs. each on the centre of the town. The American Lutheran Evangelical Mission at Shasi, and the elementary school attached to it, were com­pletely destroyed. 7 commercial buildings and a number of civilian dwellings collapsed. 2 civilians were killed and I 9 seriously and 20 slightly wounded.

January 11th - 18 Japanese aeroplanes carried out a fierce bom­bardment of Kweilin, killing 8 and wounding some 5° civilians, The Japanese aeroplanes dropped approximately 100 projectiles in 8 minutes; 14 houses were set alight and a large number destroyed. The railway line was also damaged.

and 77 incendiary bombs on Chian, a town on the river Kan, in Kiangsi province. The town was turned into a veritable in­ferno; some 100 civilians were killed or wounded, 40 houses demolished, and 7 fishing junks smashed to pieces.

A squadron of 3 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 7 bombs on Lientang, 15 km. to the south of Nanchang; there were 40 victims, and 12 houses were demolished.

Lungchow, a treaty port in south-western Kwangsi, near the frontier of Indo-China, was bombed by 8 Japanese aeroplanes which dropped 20 bombs, wounding 20 civilians.

18 Japanese aeroplanes bombed the surroundings of

9 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 44 explosive bombs

9 Japanese planes bombed Hengyang (Hunan), dropping47 bombs; 8 persons were killed, 5 wounded and one house

was demolished.

- 3 -

January 12th - 6 towns in Hunan province - Pingkiang, Henyang, Chuchow, Pinghsiang, Liling, and Changsha - were raided by 22 Japanese aeroplanes: 6 aeroplanes bombed Chuchow, dropping11 bombs, killing 2 persons and wounding 5; 58 houses were de­molished. 4 aeroplanes bombed Pinghsiang and Liling.

At Hengyang, where 18 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 120 bombs, 18 civilians were killed and 125 wounded, while 110 houses collapsed. Several serious outbreaks of fire occurred; 5 bombs fell on the law-court buildings, and the prison was reduced to ashes.

Seveial towns in the provinces of Kwangtung and Kwangsi were also bombed by Japanese aeroplanes, particularly Kweilin, where 18 aeroplanes dropped 40 bombs. As the inhabi­tants had time to take shelter, there were only 4 civilian victims.

9 Japanese aeroplanes carried out a raid on Wutlum, in south-western Kwangsi, near the Kwangtung border; the secondary school was burned down.

9 Japanese aeroplanes attacked Yingtak, on the Canton- Hankow railway line, in Northern Kwangtung, and dropped 30 bombs; they killed or wounded 20 peasants and demolished 30 houses. They next flew over Yungyuen, 50 km. to the north­east of Yingtak, and dropped 11 bombs. 11 civilians werekilled and 7 wounded; 30 houses were demolished.

8 Japanese aeroplanes bombed Seiwui, 75 km. in a straight line to the north-west of Canton, dropping 30 bombs;20 houses were demolished, and there were 12 civilian victims.

In Kiangsi, 9 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 7 bombs on the suburbs of Pinghsiang, a mining town near the bordersof Hunan. Little damage was done.

3 civilians were killed and 21 wounded as a result of a raid carried out by Japanese aircraft on Chungking;17 bombs were dropped on the suburbs.

Other Japanese aeroplanes bombed a spot in the neighbourhood of Chungking, dropping 12 bombs as a result of which 4 civilians were killed and 5 wounded.

Another Japanese squadron bombed Luhsien, to the West'of Chungking, dropping 12 bombs and causing 28 casual­ties.

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January 13th - Shiukwang, in Northern Kwangtung on the borders of Hunan and on the Canton-Hankow railway-line, was again bombed by 8 Japanese aeroplanes, which dropped 42 bombs on the centre of the town; 60 houses were demolished, 6 junks were sunk, and some 12 civilians were killed.

Kweiping, another town in Southern China, in Kwangsi province, was also bombed by 9 Japanese aeroplanes, which dropped a large number of bombs and caused considerable damage.

In Central China, 3 Japanese aircraft raided Szean, a town in Hupeh province, and dropped a few bombs.

18 Japanese aircraft bombed Hengyang (Hunan) and dropped 23S bombs, destroying 274 houses and 10 boats; l80 persons were killed and 75 wounded.

January 1.4th. - 28 Japanese aeroplanes carried out a raid on Shiuhing, a flourishing town in Western Kwangtung; many bombs were dropped, causing much damage.

50 students and civilians were killed and 80 wounded in a raid carried out by 6 Japanese aeroplanes on Wanshien, in the eastern part of Szechwan province. Some 20 bombs fell within the town, a number of them on the elementary school, where they caused 30 casualties.

January 15th - Chungking, the war-time capital, was visited by27 Japanese aeroplanes, which dropped 58 bombs on various quarters of the town, killing 152 civilians and wounding 134. 20 houses were destroyed. The majority of the bombs fell on the new municipal district and on the western suburbs.

Among the foreign property which suffered was the Shu Deh Girls' School of the American Methodist Church; two bombs were dropped which destroyed the laboratory and. the library entirely, and two other buildings in part. As this raid took place on a Sunday, when most of the pupils were at home, there were no victims. The buildings affected showed signs of machine-gun fire.

16 Japanese aircraft again raided Ichang, a treaty port in Western Hupeh, flying very low and dropping a large number of bonto 5.

13 Japanese aeroplanes dropped some 100 bonfos nn Tungkwan, on the border between Shansi and Shensi, causing 30 victims.

9 Japanese aircraft dropped 18 bombs on Kweihsien, in Kwangsi province.

Japanese aircraft bombed Shekki, near Macao, des­troying most of the houses.

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January 15th. - 18 Japanese aircraft bombed Hengyang, whereseveral buildings housing government departments were struck,258 bombs were dropped and 218 houses demolished; there were 120 killed and 158 wounded.

January l6th. - 4 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 13 bombs onNanyang, in south-western Honan.

11 Japanese aeroplanes twice bombed Kuling, a summer resort in Kiangsi province ; they dropped 7 bombs near the library and 12 near the residential district. 2 bombs fellnear the American school, and one foreigner was wounded. The British Mission bungalow and that of the German Mission, as well as several buildings of the American Methodist Mission, were partly destroyed.

5 Japanese aeroplanes bombed Tali, an agricultural centre in eastern Shensi ; they dropped 20 projectiles, of which a number fell on the Teachers' Training College, causing 7 victims.

January 17th. - Kweihsien, in Kwangsi province, Southern China,was again bombed by 9 Japanese aeroplanes for fifty minutes on end.

January l8th. • - Several towns in South-Western Kwangtung, including Pakhoi, Chinchow, Linchan, Henghsien, and Yulin, were systematically bombed by Japanese aircraft. Chinchow suffered severely.

In the north-west, 25 Japanese aircraft divided into three squadrons carried out raids on Sian, the capital of Shensi province, and on Paoki, in the same province; they dropped 20 bombs, demolishing 12 buildings and killing or wounding 20 civilians.

At Sian, 200 civilians were killed or wounded and 300 houses demolished. Over 80 bombs were dropped on the centre of the town.

January 19th. - Japanese aircraft raided Kweihsien, in southernKwangsi, dropping a large number of bcmbs and machine-gunning the civilian population.

9 Japanese aeroplanes bombed Chuchow (Hunan), droppingl6 bombs. 6 persons were wounded and 8 houses destroyed.

January 20th. - 6 Japanese aeroplanes attacked Liling (on theborder between Kiangsi and Hunan) , and dropped 34 bombs., killing four civilians and wounding 8 . 25 houses were demolished.6 Japanese planes bombed Panshanpu, 15 km. to the east of Liling, where they dropped a large number of bombs.

In Southern China, 18 Japanese aeroplanes raided Kweilin, after bombing Wuchow, the main harbour in Kwangsi, and the towns of Shaoping and Mengshan, in the interior of that province.

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January 21st. « 7 Japanese aeroplanes bombed Lochuan, innorthern Shensi, dropping 20 bombs, which destroyed about a hundred houses and caused 20 casualties among the civilian population.

9 Japanese aeroplanes bombed Yenan, about 100 km. to the north of Lochuan, dropping 12 bombs, which demolished several houses and killed or wounded 3 civilians.

January 22nd. - 15 Japanese aeroplanes carried out a raid onWeinan, 75 k™* from Sian, on the Lunghai railway; they dropped 30 bombs, causing J>0 casualties among the civilian populationand destroying 5° houses.

January 25rd. - 3 Japanese aeioplanes raided Shangcheng, insouth-eastern Honan, and dropped 12 bombs, causing several hundred casualties. Later, one Japanese aeroplane reappeared and dropped several bombs, demolishing J>0 houses.

January 24-th. - Loyang, in the province of Honan, was attackedby 9 Japanese aircraft, which dropped 60 bombs on the business quarter, demolishing about a hundred houses and buildings.There were 50 casualties among the civilian population. The Augustana Swedish Synodical Mission was attacked, despite the fact that the Swedish flag was very prominently displayed.

Tungkwan, on the border between Shansi and Shensi, was also attacked twice by Japanese aircraft. During the- second raid the enemy aeroplanes dropped 42 bombs, destroying 22 houses. Only 1 civilian was wounded, as the greater part of the population had already been evacuated on account of the continual bombardments.

Nanyang, in south-western Honan, was bombed by 18 Japanese aircraft, which alsp machine-gunned the streets;25 civilians were killed and some 20 buildings destroyed..

January 25th. - Loyang was bombed by l8 Japanese aeroplanes;at least 30 bombs were dronped on the business quarter.

January 26th. - Chaoyi, a district chief town in eastern Shensi,was attacked by 3 Japanese bombing aeroplanes, which dropped 20 bombs; there were 12 victims, and about a hundred hous.es were demolished; further, 20 persons were killed by collapsing buildings.

■4 Japanese aeroplanes attacked Hwayi, in the same province, dropping J>0 bombs in the main thoroughfare; 80 houses were destroyed, 29 persons killed and 15 wounded.

January 27th. - Kongmoon, one of the most prosperous towns in Kwangtung province, 50 south of Canton, was bombed by 4 Japanese aeroplanes; l6 large bombs were dropped, smashing 20 boats and destroying 20 buildings. The number of civilian victims was about a hundred.

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Tanuary 28th. - 6 Japanese aeroplanes again bombarded Chengchow,where the Peiping-Hankow and Lunghai railways cross. 24 bombs, of which 2-were incendiary, were dropped on the property of the Yuchung Packing Co., a British firm; some 20 buildings were destroyed.

January 29th. - Japanese aircraft bombed the Western River dis­trict, dropping 20 bombs which demolished 30 houses and caused 40 civilian casualties.

January ~50th. - 21 Japanese bombing aeroplanes attacked 6 townsin western Kwangtung; they dropped about a hundred bombs and machine-gunned the civilian population. Shiuhing, a thickly- populated town, was bombarded three times and suffered most.

In Kwangsi, 7 Japanese aircraft raided Nanning, the former capital, causing considerable damage.

January ^Ist. - 17 bombing aeroplanes carried out two raids inthe neighbourhood of Nanchang, the capital of Kiangsi province. The railway station and two houses were destroyed; 3 civilians were killed or wounded.

In addition, 8 bombing aeroplanes belonging to the Japanese Navy attacked Nanchang, while 3 others bombed Shiuhing in western Kwangtung.

Delias, a British aeroplane belonging to Imperial Airways, was attacked by 10 Japanese fighters near the island of Waichow. The British aeroplane had warned the Japanese of its time of departure, a fact which proves that the attack was deliberate. * * *

During the month of January, Japanese aircraft carried out 144 bombardments ; 765 aeroplanes were used,and 3905 bombs were dropped. 1474 civilians were killed and 1604 wounded; 4724 houses- were destroyed.

Japanese bombings occurred in 10 provinces: Shensi, Chekiang, Anhwei, Szechwan, Hunan, Kwangsi, Kiangsi, Honan, Hupeh, and Kwangtung.

* * *

February 4th: - 18 Japanese bombers raided Kuei-yang, thecapital of the province of Kweichow ; they dropped 134- explosive and 6 incendiary bombs. A large part of the business quarter was destroyed by fire. There were 592 civilians killed and 797 persons seriously wounded. 1 ,5 3 0 houses,situated in 4-2 streets, were destroyed, and 450 damaged.1 4 ,0 0 0 persons were left without shelter, and passed the night in the neighbouring hills. The district affected by the raid is an area of about 6 spare miles in the centre of Kuei-yang. The damage done to property is estimated at 25 million Chinese dollars.

- 8 . -

The Institute for the Education of the Masses and the offices of several ne w-e papers and publishing firms, such as the Central News Agency, the Commercial Press, the Chunghwa Book Company, the World Book Company, and the Pehsing Publishing Company, were amongst the buildings hit.

18 Japanese aircraft dropped about 100 incendiary and explosive bombs on Wanhsien (Szechwan), where terrible f ires broke out, causing heavy damage to property ; the casualties numbered about 1,000.

Amongst the foreign buildings struck were the French Catholic Church and the elementary school connected with it, which were completely destroyed, although the French flag had been hoisted so as tq be clearly visible.The premises of two American Firms trading in wood oil were damaged. The cultural institutions of Wanhsien, the banks, and the transport undertakings suffered heavy damage to property.

l8 Japanese aircraft bombarded Ishan, in the north of Kwangsi, where they dropped more than 7° bombs, most of them of the incendiary type ; several fires broke out.

Lienhsien, in the. north of Kwangtung, was bombarded by 8 Japanese aircraft, which dropped 30 bombs, including incendiary bombs, which caused several fires. Most of the houses and buildings in the business quarter were destroyed. 30 civilians were killed; thousands are without shelter.

February 6th: - Tangyang (Hupeh), Kweihsien (Kwangsi), andtowns in Kiangsi were bombed by Japanese aircraft. There were heavy losses among the civilian population. Tangyang was bombed by 12 Japanese aircraft, which dropped incendiary and explosive bombs in the residential quarter, where several fires broke out.

9 Japanese aircraft carried out raids on Tuchang, Chuhsien, Tungh 9.ang, Wuning, Nanchang, Pinghsiang,Changshu, and Hsiangtang (Kiangsi).

50 bombs were dropped on Sian (Shensi).

Kweihsien (Kwangsi) was intensively bombarded by 24 Japanese aircraft ; many explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped, and caused several fires.

- 9 -

2 Japanese aircraft made a raid on Hsiaoshan (Chekiang), where they dropped 7 bombs. 2 persons were killed and 10 wounded. 50 houses were destroyed.

12 Japanese aircraft attacked Loyang (Honan), where they dropped about 100 bombs. 5 civilians were killed and 0 wounded. 143 houses were destroyed.

February 8 th: 20 Japanese aircraft carried out a raid onTungkwan, nn the Shansi-Shensi frontier, where more than 200 bombs were dropped. Several big fires broke out. 200 houses were destroyed. There were many victims among the civilian population.

Pakhoi was bombarded by 8 Japanese aircraft and Yunchow (Kwangtung) by 6 Japanese aircraft.

February 9th; Pingliang (Kansu) was attacked by 11 Japaneseaircraft, which dropped a large number of bombs.

February 10th: 10 Japanese aircraft attacked Holanchai, in thenorth of Shensi,' . they -dropped 30 bombs ; 5 civilianswere killed or wounded.

February 12th: Lanchow, the capital of the province of Kansu,was attacked on two occasions by Japanese aircraft. In She first raid, 21 Japanese aircraft, before reaching Lanchow, dropped 20 bombs on Tsingyuan, where 3 civilians were killed and 8 buildings destroyed. During the second raid, the Japanese aircraft dropped 80 bombs.

February 14th: A Japanese aeroplane attacked a motor-busengaged in the passenger service near Sumchun, at a distance of 4 kilometres from the Sino-British frontier. It dropped several bombs, on£ of which exploded. Of the passengers, who were going to the "New Territories” of Hong Kong one was killed and several were wounded.

February 15th: 15 Japanese aircraft, flying in 2 squadrons,twice bombarded Nanyang, in the south-west of Honan,

causing 30 casulties amongst the civilian population. Many houses were destroyed. The middle school and the rural normal school, the Chingyeh middle school and the Fuhsin middle school, were attacked by Japanese aircraft and were damaged. The victims numbered 78-, 68 of whom were killed and 10 wounded. 350 houses were completely or partlydestroyed.

6 bombers attacked Lanchi (Chekiang), where they dropped 13 bombs. 6 persons were killed and 14 wounded. •4 houses were destroyed.

In the east of Chekiang, 3 Japanese aircraft attacked Hsiaoshan, dropping 4 bombs. ;3 houses were destroyed. 1 person was killed and 3 were wounded.

One Japanese aeroplane dropped '3 bombs on Linfu, near Hsiac&ian; 1 junk was blown to pieces and 1 person was wounded.

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February 18th: Japanese aircraft intensively bombed several— "towns situated in the interior of the island of Hainan,

where several schools, libraries, hospitals, and cultural institutions were destroyed.

February 20th: 50 Japanese aircraft, organised in 3 flights,made up of 9, 12, and 9 machines respectively, tried to bomb Lanchow (Kansu). The Japanese concentrated their attacks on the cultural institutions and hospitals. About 50 buildings, including the Kansu General Hospital and the Girls’ Trade School, the Mohammedan elementary school, and the building of the Kansu Court of Appeal, were destroyed.20 civilians were killed.

The first flight dropped about 20 bombs on the eastern suburbs ; the second drppped 30 bombs on the southern suburbs, whilst the third flight dropped 20 bombs on the western district.

February 21st: Ichang, a port on the Yangtse, in the west ofHupeh, was bombed by Japanese aircraft. There were 300 casualties, and 600 houses were destroyed. The raid was carried out by 9 aircraft.

Tungkwan, on the Shansi-Shensi frontier, was bombed by 15 Japanese aircraft. The bombardment lasted half an hour.

Chunchi (Chekiang) was raided by 6 Japanese aircraft, which dropped 17 bombs. 4 civilians were killedand 2 wounded. 20 houses were destroyed.

9 Japanese aircraft bombed British territory during a raid on Samchun, near the Hongkong frontier. Of the 70 bombs dropped, 6 fell on British territory. As Samchun has no anti-aircraft defences, the Japanese aircraft flew very low and machine-gunned the streets, completely destroying the station and the Custom House and causing considerable damage to both life and property.

7 aircraft concentrated their bombardment on Samchun and on the Canton-Kowloon railway bridge, and 2 on the Sino-British frontier. One bomb fell near the British barracks at Lowu, destroying sentry post No. 9. Policeman No. 7506 was killed. Several wagons were destroyed near British territory. 200 civilians were killed a large numberwounded.

The train which had left Hongkong for Lowu, in the "New Territories” was bombed. 1 goods wagon was destroyed.

Samchun was of no military importance and had keen converted into a refugee centre. Furthermore, the Japanese authorities had undertaken to give. the Horgcong authorities48 hours’ notice whenever Japanese aircraft were to fly over British territory. The Britjsh flag was hoisted over Lowu, and was perfectly visible to the Japanese aircraft, which flew low.

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February 22nd: 9 Japanese aircraft bombarded Hsiangyang(Hupeh), where they dropped 40 bombs. 60 houses weredestroyed, and 60 civilians were killed or wounded.

29 aircraft attacked Chingmen (Hupeh) for 3 hours, dropping about 100 bombs, which destroyed 200 houses and caused 2© casualties among the civilian population.

On the Chekiang coast, 5 Japanese aircraft dropped3 bombs on Chenhai and 11 on Linhai. 2 persons were killedand 2 wounded; 26 houses were destroyed.

February 23rd: 38 Japanese aircraft again attempted to carry outa raid on Lanchow (Kansu). The first two Japanese flights, made up of 18 machines, dropped a large number of bombs on Pingliang, and then continued their flight in the direction of Lanchow, which they were not able to reach, being pre­vented by the Chinese fighters. The third flight, which consisted of 20 machines, dropped 30 bombs on the eastern and southern quarters of the town. 200 houses were destroyed, as incendiary bombs were dropped. The civilian victims numbered 30.

** *

During the month of February, the nuhber of bombardments of civilian populations by Japanese aircraft was 92. The raids were carried out by 521 aircraft, which dropped 2,120 bombs. The victims among the civilian population numbered 1,728 killed and 2,979 wounded; the number of houses destroyed was 4,755.

12 provinces were bombed, viz., Hunan, Kwangtung, Chekiang, Kiangsi, Szechwan, Kweichow, Kwangsi, Anhwei,Honan, Shensi, Kansu and Hupeh.

** *

March 6th: 15 Japanese aircraft bombarded Ninghsia, thecapital of the province of that name (Inner Mongolia), where they dropped 103 bombs inside and outside the town. 300 civilians were killed or wounded.

March 7th: 30 Japanese aircraft, organised in four flights,carried out raids on several towns in the provinces of Kansu, Ninghsia, and Shensi. The first two flights, made up of 15 machines, attacked Pingliang, in the east of Kansu, where they dropped 80 bombs, which destroyed 600 houses. The third flight, consisting of 3 aircraft, made a raid on the town of Ninghsia, where it dropped 30 bombs. The other 12 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 30 bombs on Yungchang and Wuwei (Kansu).

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Sian, the capital of the province of Shensi, was, bombarded by 14 Japanese aircraft, which dropped 100 bombs. About 1,000 houses were destroyed. The Italian Franciscan Mission was destroyed. Mgr. Vanni, Vicar Apostolic of Sian, severely condemned the Japanese bombard­ment, during which the Italian Franciscan Mission was destroyed, although the Italian flag was prominently displayed.

March 8th: Seven-tenths of the town of Ichang (Hupeh) wereaffected by a bombardment carried out by 45 Japanese aircraft; a third of the buildings of the town were destroyed. The bombardment was carried out by four flights, which dropped about 100 bombs. The American church and houses and schools belonging to foreigners were destroyed.

6 Japanese aircraft carried out a raid on Chanteh (Hunan); they dropped 20 bombs, which killed 4 peasants and wounded 2 men and 2 women.

March 9th: Ichang was again bombarded by two flights ofJapanese aircraft, which concentrated their attacks on the centre of the town. The Scottish Mission school, which was struck by one bomb, and the American Mission, on which 6 bombs fell, were partly destroyed. 7 bombs fell on the residence of foreigners, The foreign property bombed was clearly marked with the appropriate national colours. 200 houses inthe centre and the south-eastern part of Ichang were destroyed.

The victims of the bombing of Ichang on March 8th and 9th numbered several thousands. There are only a few buildings left standing in the town, which resembles a dead city, Thê buildings along the river bank, which formed the business quarter, are a mass of ruins.

Weinan, on the Lunghai railway, was bombarded by7 Japanese aircraft, which dropped 50 bombs. 40 houses weredestroyed ; 3 fires broke out.

March 12th: 36 Japanese aircraft carried out raids on different parts of the province of Shensi, dropping in all 70 bombs. Little damage was done, however.

• 89 bombs were dropped on Loyang by 16 Japanese aircraft organised in two flights, which made 2 raids on the town. Nearly all the bombs fell in thickly-populated quarters. 40 civilians were killed and 10 wounded. 400

. houses were destroyed.

March 3.3th: _ In South China, 4 Japanese naval aircraft bombed Hoihong, the chief town of the Luichow peninsula, opposite the island of Hainan.

March 14th: 9 Japanese aircraft again bombed Ichang, con­centrating their attacks on the Municipality quarter. There were more than 100 civilian casualties ; 40 houses weredestroyed, and several junks were sunk.

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Sian (Shensi) was bombed by 21 Japanese aircraft, organised in three flights. Between 60 and 70 bombs were dropped. Notwithstanding the evacuation of the civilian population, the number of victims was estimated at between 70 and 80, and the number of houses destroyed at between 500 and 600.

Paochi (Shensi) was bombed .by 12 Japanese aircraft, which dropped 38 bombs. 4 civilians were killed and 12wounded. 20 buildings were destroyed.

9 Japanese aircraft bombed Ruling (Kiangsi), dropping about 12 bombs, one of which struck a British house on which the Union Jack was very clearly painted; another fell on the American School.

March 15th: Sian (Shensi) and Pingliang (Kansu were bombedby 22 and 26 Japanese aircraft respectively. 70 bombs were dropped on Sian, where 20 civilians were killed or wounded and 70 houses and 15 rickshaws were destroyed. 60 bombswere dropped on Pingliang.

The Puking hospital and the Peisin school of the British Mission at Pingkiang (Hunan) were destroyed during a raid on the town by 18 Japanese aircraft ; 2 doctors and40 students were killed. 100 bombs were dropped on the town, in which about 1 ,0 0 0 houses were destroyed ; the town is in ruins. During the raid, a British missionary, the Rev. A. G. Leigh, was killed, - and the Rev. Mr. Clark was wounded. The United Jack was painted on the roofs of the hospital and the mission school, and could be distinguished from a height of 1 ,0 0 0 metres.

Japanese aircraft attacked Shiuhing (Kwantung), dropping about 30 bombs.

March 16th: 20 bombs were dropped on Kuling by 18 Japaneseaircraft. One person was killed and 5 were wounded. The buildings destroyed included the cathedral.

March 17th: Lulinp- (Kiangsi) was bombed by 18 Japaneseaircraft, which dropped about 100 incendiary and explosive bombs on the town. There were 300 casualties, and 300 houses were destroyed. Amongst the latter were the provincial hospital and the school of nursing, where a large number of patients, doctors, and nurses were seriously wounded.

Loyang (Honan) was bombed by 7 Japanese aircraft. which dropped between 60 and 70 bombs, destroying about 100 houses.

In the north-west of Hupeh, 4 Japanese aircraft bombarded Fancheng, a commercial centre ; 300 houses weredestroyed.

7 Japanese aircraft carried out a raid on Hsiangyang, opposite Fancheng, but less damage was done there than in the latter town.

9 Japanese aircraft bombarded Yungyuen, in the north of Kwantung, dropping about 100 bombs and machine-gunning the population. Schools, shops, and houses were destroyed ; the victims numbered 90.

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Kuling (Kiangsi) was again bombed by 5 Japanese aeroplanes; 4 houses were destroyed.

Tungkwan, on the frontier between Shansi and Shensi, was raided by Japanese aeroplanes, which dropped 10 bombs.

March 18th. Shasi (Hupeh), a populous town on the Yantze, was raided by 8 Japanese aeroplanes. The American Mission building was hit by 3 bombs, which killed 3 persons. 25 bombs weredropped, causing over 70 casualties. 50 houses were wrecked.

13 Japanese aeroplanes raided Hsuchang (Honan), dropping about 30 bombs, which wrecked a lerge number of houses.

9 Japanese aeroplanes bombed Lienhsien (North Kwangtung), dropping 30 bombs, which wrecked 30 houses.There were 12 civilian casualties.

March 19th. Hsiangyang and Fancheng (Hupeh) were attacked on three separate occasions by 15 Japanese aeroplanes, which drcopei more than 200 bombs. As the civilian population had been evacuated, there were only some 2Q casualties.

The properties of the foreign missions suffered serious damage ; foreign residences and the hospital of the American Missionary Society were hit.

March 21st. 4 Japanese naval aeroplanes bombed Foochow.8 bombs were dropped ; 1 shop was destroyed and 1 personkilled.

March 22nd. 36 bombs were dropped by Japanese aeroplanes onLoyang, where about 100 houses were destroyed.

March 18th - 22nd. The Japanese air forces were extremely active over a large part of the province of Honan, in which Chengchow, Hsuchand, and Chungmow were bombed. At Chengchow it is estimated that 300 bombs were dropped; 200 houses were wrecked, but as the civilian population had been evacuated there were only a few casualties.

As a result of successive raids by Japanese aircraft over a period of four days, 1,600 houses were destroyed at Chengchow, where the whole business area is in ruins.

March 23rd. Nanchang was bombed by several formations of Japanese aeroplanes numbering 40 in all. About 100 bombs were dropped, including explosive bombs, which wrecked over 200 buildings. The civilian population had been evacuated, and there were therefore only a few casualties.

March 25th. 19 aeroplanes bombed towns and villages alongboth banks of the Yellow River between the provinces of Honan and Shansi, dropping 87 bombs. 16 persons werekilled and 20 wounded. 200 houses were destroyed.

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March 29th. 18 Japanese aeroplanes dropped about 100 bombs inthe centre of the town of Liangshan, about 105 miles north­west of Chungking ; 100 civilians were killed and 200 wounded.200 houses were wrecked. The victims included 40 inmates of the local prison, which was hit in a number of places.

*

* *

During March the Japanese air force bombed the Chinese civilian population 1Ï3 times. 769 Japanese aero­planes took part, and 5,680 bombs were dropped. 2,401civilians were killed and 2,250 wounded ; 9,991 houses weredestroyed.

Raids were carried out on 13 different provinces : Kiangsi, Kwangtung, Honan, Chekiang, Kansu, Shensi, Ninghsia, Hupeh, Shansi, Hunan, Szechwan, Fukian, and Anhwei.

*

* *

April 2nd. Sian (Shensi) was bombed by 7 Japanese aeroplanes, which dropped more than 50 bombs, including 2 incendiary bombs. Fires broke out inside the town. There 12 casualties , and 260 houses collapsed, including the English Baptist Mission building.

April 3rd. Sian was again bombed by 17 Japanese aeroplanes, ■ which dropped 45 bombs in the centre of the town : 7 civilianswere killed and 30 wounded. 120 houses were wrecked.

April 13th. 2 formations of Japanese naval aeroplanes numbering19 in all raided. for the first time since the outbreak of- hostilities, Mengtze, a station on the Ytlnnan railway some 40 miles to the north of the Indo-Chinese frontier. A great many bombs were dropped on the town, causing several fires.To reach Mengtze the Japanese aircraft crossed French territory.

April 21st. Chihkiang, in western Hunan, near the frontier of the province of Kweichow, was half destroyed by a raid carried out by 18 Japanese aeroplanes. There were about 400 civilian casualties. About 100 explosive bombs and some 20 incendiary bombs were dropped. About 100 buildings were destroyed ; several fires broke out.

The orphanage, accommodating 200 children, founded in Shihkiang by Mrs. Chiang Kai-shek, was destroyed. Other orphanages in the town for child war victims, the church, and the houses of foreign residents were also completely destroyed,

62 Japanese aeroplanes carried out raids in the provinces of Chekiang, Kiangsi, Hunan, Honan, and Shansi, in the course of which 212 bombs were dropped. There were 63 casualties, and 72 houses were destroyed.

The town of Neisiang (in south-western Honan) was bombed by 18 Japanese aeroplanes flying in two formations; the raid lasted 20 minutes, during which time 100 bombs were dropped.

In the course of a raid by Japanese aeroplanes on Wenchow, a treaty port on the coast of Chekiang, a Portuguese steamer was damaged by a bomb.

April 26th: The University of Amoy was destroyed for the secondtime since the outbreak of hostilities by 3 Japanese bombing aeroplanes. The University had been transferred to Changting, in the interior of the province of Fukien, after the destruction of its buildings in Amoy by the Japanese. In Changting the Japanese aeroplanes concentrated their attacks on the Univers­ity premises ; 15 explosive bombs were dropped, and theUniversity buildings were hit in several places. There was very heavy loss of life and extensive damage to property.

Swatow, the treaty port on the east coast of Kwantung, was raided 3 times.

Shiuhing (Kwantung) was attacked by 8 Japanese aero­planes ; 80 bombs were dropped; over 100 civilians were killed or wounded; several hundred buildings were destroyed.

April 27th: 30 civilians were killed and 50 houses wrecked in araid by 15 Japanese aeroplanes on Chingmen and Hungtupu, In the centre of the province of Hupeh.

April 28th: 7 Japanese naval aeroplanes bombed NIngpo, the chiefcommercial centre of Chekiang, during the morning. They dropped 20 bombs, half of which were incendiary. 100 civilians were killed or wounded, and 20 houses were destroyed.

7 Japanese aeroplanes attacked Taichow and 8 attacked Wenchow, on the coast of Chekiang, dropping in all 26 bombs ; over 100 houses were destroyed.

13 Japanese aeroplanes twice bombed Ichang, destroying 120 buildings and causing 30 civilian casualties.

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May 1st : Foochow, capital of the province of Fukien, wasraided by 15 Japanese naval aeroplanes, which dropped 50 bombs,30 of them incendiary. 120 civilians were killed or wounded ; a great many fires were caused.

May 2nd : Foochow was bombed for the fourth time since April21st; the town was almost wholly destroyed; about one thousand civilians were killed or wounded.

At Ningpo (Chekiang), about one hundred civilians were killed or wounded in a raid by 3 Japanese naval aeroplanes, which dropped 18 bombs, several of them incendiary.

Chlnhwa (Chekiang) was raided by 5 Japanese aero­planes, which dropped 14 bombs. One of these fell on the hospital, where four patients were killed and two wounded.In the east of the same province, Tunghsiang was bombed by 9 Japanese aeroplanes, which dropped more than 80 bombs. 9 persons were killed and 7 wounded.

May 3rd: 36 Japanese aeroplanes, flying in two formations,attacked Chungking, the war capital of China, and dropped incendiary and explosive bombs on 10 of the most thickly- inhabited parts of the city, causing enormous damage and loss of life. Violent fires broke out. No military objectives were hit, the effects of the raid being entirely confined to the civilian population and the business district. All the hospitals, public and private, are crowded with wounded. The Japanese dropped over 100 bombs, most of them incendiary.

May 4th: Chungking was transformed into a veritable infernoby the most savage raid so far carried out by the Japanese in China. 27 Japanese aeroplanes in échelon formation took part, and dropped tons of incendiary and explosive bombs on thecity. 8 monster fires broke out on the south bank of theKialing river, in the neighbourhood of Chungking, and on the north bank. Rows and rows of houses and shops were burned, or collapsed. As in Chungking the houses are flimsily built and very closely crowded together, and as the city is in­adequately equipped with air-raid shelters, a great many people were buried alive or lost their lives in the fires. Some twenty refugees, who had taken shelter in a trench at the end of the wall surrounding the Japanese Consulate, were suffocated by the intense heat. The richest districts, representing two- fifths of the entire city, were razed to the ground. Foreign property suffered greatly. Two incendiary bombs and one explosive bomb fell on the British Consulate. An incendiary bomb dropped near the gate of the French Consulate and an explosive bomb in the garden. One explosive and two incendiary bombs fell on the residence of Bishop Jantzen, Vicar Apostolic of Chungking. Two bombs fell on one of the buildings belong­ing to the French Episcopal See in which 200 persons had taken refuge, though no one was hurt. 20 refugees who were shelter­ing along the outer wall of the episcopal buildings were buried alive, part of the wall having been wrecked by a bomb. 100refugees in a camp organised by a French convent perished in the fire caused by incendiary bombs which destroyed part of the

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convent Itself. The Catholic church suffered extensive damage. 25 persons were buried alive under several housesthat collapsed within the precincts of the church, which is the property of the Paris mission.

In the raids on Chungking on May 3rd and May 4th,5 ,0 0 0 civilians lost their lives. 2 ,5 0 0 persons were woundedand 2 ,3 9 1 houses were destroyed.

Swatow, the treaty port on the Kwantung coast, was bombed several times in the course of the day; 8 large Japanese naval bombing aeroplanes made two raids, causing 100 civilian casualties. One bomb fell on a boat standing close in shore ; there were 120 victims.

May 5th: 34 Japanese aeroplanes bombed various parts of theprovince of Kwangtung, where they dropped about 32 bombs.There were 23 civilian casualties, and 35 houses were destroyed,!

May 7th: About 100 Japanese aeroplanes dropped 300 bombs,causing about 100 civilian casualties in different parts of the country, especially in the provinces of Kiangsi, Shansi, Fukien, Chekiang, and Hupeh.

May 8th: Sanchiangchow, near Nanchang (Kiangsi), was raidedby 20 Japanese bombing aeroplanes. Ichang (Hupeh) and Yunning (Fukien) were also raided, with considerable loss of life among the civilian population.

May 9th: Japanese naval aeroplanes twice bombed Foochow,which is already almost completely in ruins ; they dropped 30 explosive and incendiary bombs on shops, houses and hospitals, several hundred houses being destroyed.

Yungan and Lungyen, inland towns in the province of Fukien, also suffered greatly.

Ningpo, on the coast of Chekiang, was attacked by6 Japanese bombing aeroplanes, which dropped 14 bombs and wrecked about ICO houses ; 5 persons were killed and 9 wounded,

May 12th: 27 Japanese aeroplanes dropped large numbers of in­cendiary bombs and a few explosive bombs on Chungking and the surrounding district. Very serious damage was done in the district of Kiangpei, opposite Chungking, on the other side of theKialing river„ A violent fire broke out on the south bank of the Yangtze, to the east of Chungking. Several bombs fell to the west of the city. Altogether, 6 violent fires were caused by incendiary bombs. 600 persons were killed.Cigarettes and cotton to a total value of 1,200,000 Chinese dollars, which were stored in the warehouses of the American Standard Vacuum Oil Company on the south bank of the Yangtze, south-east of Chungking, were completely destroyed by a fire caused by incendiary bombs.

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Mav l4th; At Changpu, on the south coast of Fukien, the British Mission and the Mission School for Boys and Girls were destroyed in a raid by Japanese aircraft.

May 25th: For the fourth time during May, Chungking was bombed,by 33 Japanese aeroplanes, causing great loss of life and extensive damage to property. The Japanese aeroplanes were flying in two formations; the first consisted of 27 machines, which dropped about 100 bombs near the Chungking promontory.It is estimated that there were from 400 to 500 civilian casualties. The explosive and incendiary bombs fell within the city limits, the district lying along the Yangtze suffer­ing most severely.

A second group of 6 bombing aeroplanes flew near Chungking and bombed the suburbs.

During a raid by 3 Japanese aeroplanes, 2 bombs fellon the American Mission at Putien, on the coast of Fukien,about 45 miles to the south of Foochow; the Mission was destroyed.

May 29th: Ichang was bombed by Japanese aeroplanes. Threeof the 5 foreign missions in the town were damaged : theAmerican Church Mission, the Scottish Presbyterian Mission,and the Franco-Relgian Catholic Mission. An American deacon­ess belonging to the American Church Mission was slightly injured.

17 Japanese bombing aeroplanes attacked Shiukwan, in the north of Kwantung. 5 bombs fell on the Italian CatholicMission, although the Mission building had been very clearly marked with a cross. The Japanese aeroplanes dropped some 80 bombs on the business district, where 80 buildings were wrecked. There were 40 casualties.

May 30th: Foochow was raided five times by Japanese aeroplanes,which dropped 12 bombs, causing further loss of life and damage to property.