The Unpredictables

It was too early to celebrate a great victory. But all the indications were that the unpredictable Chinese had done it again to the Japanese.

Somehow, the tired, half-starved, miserably equipped Chinese had suddenly burst into attack upon the enemy from all sides. The powerful Jap drive, within 175 miles of closing the last gap in a wall from Manchuria to the China Sea. faltered and stopped.

It might be resumed again, with greater fury. In the parlous state of China's communications, not even Chungking knew the full situation. But in China's latest war crisis there was some hope that disaster had been staved off once again.

Hengyang Holds Out. About 100,000 Japanese had fought down 100 miles from Changsha past Hengyang, straddling the Hankow-Canton railway on a 50-mile front (see map). In the face of Chinese high command blunders and confusion, the Japanese power reached farther south in this area than ever before. North to meet them from Canton drove another Japanese force. If the two joined, China would be split by a Japanese-garrisoned railway.

In bypassed Hengyang the Chinese Tenth Army held out with desperate courage. It fed on the city's rice stores, kept up the fight with well worn guns, and ammunition parachuted by the Fourteenth U.S. Air Force. At the same time Major General Claire L. Chennault's planes ripped Japanese communications.

Then the Chinese Army turned on counterpressure. New troops came in from other districts, attacks grew sharper. In the face of this opposition the Japanese apparently began to withdraw. There were even reports that siege lines around Hengyang were cracking.

Rockets' Red Glare. Overnight the news and rumors that trickled belatedly to China's rear changed from black to rosy pink. In the air-base city of Kweilin--in serious danger from the Japanese offensive--hasty defense works and evacuation of civilians were abandoned. TIME Correspondent Teddy White reported that rockets crimsoned the sky, firecrackers popped and pinwheels whirled, newsboys shrieked the tidings in late extras. At the American air bases where transports had been hurrying out refugees and stores, the grim mood lifted. G.I.s smiled, wiped the sweat from their faces, boasted happily: "We done it again."

Top military men indulged in no such goings-on. If the Japanese were withdrawing it was hard to understand why. They had all the advantages of supply, training, equipment. If they really were falling back it could only be because of overwhelming Chinese numerical superiority (as high as 4-to-1), because of the total air supremacy of the Fourteenth, which in four weeks flew as many missions as it had in the previous five months.

The Chinese and the world would have to wait and see.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.