Keesing's World News Archives

Keesing's World News Archives http://www.keesings.com/print/search?SQ_DESIGN_NAME=print&kssp... Keesing's Record of World Events (formerly Keesing's Contemporary Archives), Volume VII-VIII, September, 1950 China, Page 10929 © 1931-2006 Keesing's Worldwide, LLC - All Rights Reserved. Following the occupation of virtually the whole of the mainland of China by the Communist armies during the latter months of 1949, and the withdrawal of the Nationalist Government's forces to the islands of Formosa and Hainan, the principal military developments in China during the first six months of 1950, prior to the outbreak of the Korean war, were the Communist invasion and occupation of Hainan (effected during April) and a number of attacks by the Nationalist Air Force on coastal ports and cities—notably Canton and Shanghai—which caused heavy damage and casualties. The invasion of Hainan (see map, page 10444), which followed several earlier “probing” attacks on the island, was carried out across the 10-mile-wide Hainan Straits during the night of April 16–17 by two divisions of General Lin Pao's Fourth Field Army, which were ferried across by a fleet of some 200 junks. Despite strong initial resistance by the Nationalist troops on the island, the Communists succeeded in establishing and broadening a wide beach-head on the north coast of Hainan west of Hoihow (the island's capital), occupied the latter town without resistance on April 23, and rapidly overran the remainder of the island, which was in full Communist occupation by the end of the month. The greater part of the Nationalist troops on Hainan, with the local Nationalist military commanders and officials, were evacuated to Formosa from the south coast port of Yulin, the abandonment of Hainan being officially announced in Taipeh (the. Nationalists' Formosan capital) on May 2; the Nationalist announcement claimed that severe losses (stated to be nearly 20,000) had been inflicted on the Communists during the Hainan fighting, that about half the original invasion force had been sunk by the Nationalist Navy during the crossing of the Hainan Straits, and that defence installations had been destroyed and airfields rendered useless prior to the evacuation. In addition to Hainan, the Communists succeeded in establishing themselves on various smaller islands off the Chinese coast, notably the Chusan islands off the Yangtse estuary, which had been a Nationalist base for the blockade of Shanghai, and a group of about 75 small islands (the Ladrones) off the Pearl River estuary in South China, commanding the sea approaches to Canton and adjacent to the British and Portuguese colonies of Hong Kong and Macao. The evacuation of the Chusans was announced by the Nationalist Government on May 17, the announcement stating that all Nationalist forces in the islands had been successfully evacuated to Formosa, whilst a number of the islands of the Ladrone group were captured by the Communists in amphibious operations during May; complete Communist control of all the islands in this group was claimed 1 of 4 12/2/2010 10:45 Keesing's World News Archives http://www.keesings.com/print/search?SQ_DESIGN_NAME=print&kssp... by Peking radio on Aug. 11. During the first three months of 1950, Nationalist B-24 (Liberator) heavy bombers, based on Formosa and, until the capture of that island, on Hainan, carried out a number of heavy raids on mainland targets, which included dock installations and public utilities at Canton, Shanghai, Amoy, and Foochow, and the Communist “invasion coast” on the Luichow Peninsula opposite Hainan, where the destruction of many junks was claimed in raids during January and February. Particularly heavy damage was done in the raids on Shanghai and Canton, the attacks on Shanghai including severe raids on Jan. 7, when seven ships were destroyed along the waterfront and large fires started; on Feb. 6, when heavy damage and casualties were caused in an attack directed against important power stations, industrial installations, and public utilities; and on March 14, when 500 1b. bombs were dropped on runways and administrative buildings of the former international airport at Lunghwa, which was claimed in Formosa to have been 80 per cent destroyed in the heaviest single attack on the mainland. At Canton, particularly severe damage was done in a series of raids on March 3–4, Hong Kong sources estimating fatal casualties in these raids at 700--1,000. A considerable exodus of civilian populations as a result of these attacks took place both in Shanghai and Canton, a number of refugees from the latter city entering Hong Kong. A strong U.S. protest against “deliberate and repeated” bombing attacks on American property in Shanghai was presented to the Chinese Nationalist Government on Feb. 10, the Note calling attention to the threat to American lives represented by such raids, and demanding “prompt and categorical” assurances that there would be “no repetition” of attacks on American targets; the Note was presented after the heavy raid on Shanghai of Feb. 6, in which the installations of the American-owned Socony-Vacuum Oil Company and of the Shanghai Power Company were singled out for heavy attack. On the same day (Feb. 10) the U.N. Secretary-General at Lake Success received a cable from the international community in Shanghai (including residents' associations of 17 nationalities and a number of religious bodies) similarly protesting at the repeated bombing of the city by Nationalist aircraft, appealing to the U.N. to “forestall the calamity” facing the city's inhabitants as a result of these raids, and drawing attention to the fact that the attack of Feb. 6 had caused heavy civilian casualties and had left the city virtually without light and water supply. An announcement from Taipeh on April 4 alleged that two Nationalist fighters attacking Communist junks in Hangchow Bay (45 miles S.W. of Shanghai) on April 2 had been shot down by four or five Russian-type machines bearing Chinese Communist insignia. In a further statement on April 5, the Nationalist Foreign Minister (Dr. George Yeh) appealed to the U.N. Security Council to take measures against the U.S.S.R.for “definite Soviet participation in the military action of the Chinese Communists in violation of the U.N. Charter,” asked the U.N. to send a naval and air observation group to China to substantiate the Nationalist Government's charges that the U.S.S.R.was giving active aid and support to the Chinese Communists, and alleged that Soviet aviators and aircraft technicians, both civil and military, had been arriving in increasing numbers in North and Central China; that the Soviet Union was setting up stations for the Chinese Communist Air Force and Signal Corps; and that a large number of former Japanese and ex-American Lease-Lend aircraft were “definitely being used by the Chinese Communists.” These charges were formally submitted to the U.N. Secretary-General by the Chinese Nationalist representative at Lake Success (Dr. Tsiang) on April 10. The Nationalist Government's letter containing the allegations was forwarded by Hr. Trygve Lie to the Soviet delegate at the U.N. (Mr. Malik), who, however, informed Hr. Lie on April 12 that he would refuse to transmit to his Government “the letter of a private individual illegally claiming the status of a representative to the U.N.” the allegations contained in the communication being described by M. Malik as “an unsubstantiated and entirely fictitious slander” against the U.S.S.R. A number of incidents involving interference with British and American shipping occurred at intervals in consequence of the Nationalist Government's blockade of the mainland, which on Feb. 9 was extended 2 of 4 12/2/2010 10:45 Keesing's World News Archives http://www.keesings.com/print/search?SQ_DESIGN_NAME=print&kssp... southwards from the coast opposite Hainan (hitherto the southernmost limit of the blockade) to the Indo-Chinese frontier. Among these incidents was a strafing attack by Nationalist aircraft on Feb. 27 against the U.S. ships Flying Clipper and Pioneer Dale while at anchor at Tsingtao (only one slight casualty being caused); the shelling on June 5 by a Nationalist gunboat of the British coaster Cheung Hing, attacked in the Formosa Straits while running the blockade from Hong Kong to Amoy (six Chinese members of the crew were killed and one injured); an attack by three Nationalist aircraft on June 23 against the British tug Frosty Muller while the latter was engaged in salvage operations on the British-owned steamer Anheui, which had been mined and beached off Swatow (no casualties were caused in this attack, the planes being driven off by gunfire from the frigate H.M.S. Hart, which had come to the tug's assistance); and a machine-gunning attack on July 15 by Nationalist planes on the British m.v. Glenearn (9,800 tons) north of Formosa, in which two of the crew were wounded. On May 12 the destroyer H.M.S. Cossack rescued from Chinese Nationalist control the British s.s. Ethel Moller, which had been seized 10 weeks earlier while running the blockade from Hong Kong to Amoy and pressed into Nationalist service; the vessel was intercepted by the Cossack in the Formosa Straits, was boarded by a British naval party (which disarmed 150 Nationalist troops on board), and was subsequently escorted to Hong Kong. Communist shore batteries established on three small islands athwart the seaward approaches to Hong Kong opened fire on the British destroyer Concord on Aug. 17, the warship returning the fire in self-defence; no damage was suffered by the Concord, and there was only one minor casualty from shell splinters.

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