1936 in China

Transcription

Japanese bombs create havoc in Shanghai - extent of which is now revealed for the first time by these pictures just received in America. (gunfire) The move - (explosions) This terrific bombardment continued for days, as Shanghai's gallant defenders said, "they shall not pass." - astonishment of the world. And so, while diplomats argue, war continues, and will continue, unless the great powers can bring about an armistice and peace. - which came down a flaming coffin for three pilots. The Chinese found in the wreckage an unused bomb, the same type - - a hundred million dollars. The American-owned Witcher House, the odeon in North Sichuan Road, was set ablaze by the Japanese, ostensibly to drive off snipers. The Paramount News cameraman - Movietone today brings to you in stark reality. Chinese police and foreign troops herd them in as they reach the haven of refuge. And so they crowd through the gate in their frantic endeavor to put their fears behind them. - sufferers, and sending the sick to improvised hospital centers. Meanwhile - - of men, women, and children flood through the streets, seeking shelter in the section protected by the - - arms stand ready, determined to protect foreign interest against either Japanese or Chinese aggression. Day and night - - staggering under backbreaking packs containing their pitiful belongings, thousands of despairing refugees trudge the roads and streets. Some are trying to make their way to other towns out of the war zone - Here, grim tragedy stalks. How to feed and care for these homeless and innocent victims of war's scourge is a problem that is taxing the relief agencies to their utmost. All they had has been taken from them, and the future holds no promise. - After holding up the Japanese advance into native Shanghai for a month, the soldiers of the heroic Chinese 19th Route Army are shown here retiring to the 12-and-a-half mile zone beyond the borders of the city. While the main body of General Tingkai's army leaves the fighting zone in an endless stream, screaming Japanese shells - - helpless coolies caught between the fighting lines, their homes gone, their loved ones lost. They are evacuating the area by the thousands. - still pouring into the fallen settlement, fleeing the advancing Japanese in overwhelming, stark terror. (yelling) Chinese police beat the crowd in frantic efforts to keep the stampede within bounds. These pictures of war's innocent victims, helpless, homeless - The Chinese 19th Route Army has retreated! The word spread like a flame of panic, and now there's no stopping the mob. - madly, the crowds rushed to escape the unseen death that threatens them from above. Many flee without trying to save anything, deserting homes and shops in their frantic endeavor to seek a place of safety. The fate of Chapei is fresh in their minds, and they only have one thought: to get away as fast as feet can carry them to the shelter of the international settlement. All Chinese found in this quarter are forced to undergo a thorough search as snipers. Possession of arms is taken as conclusive evidence of guilt, and punishment is certain death. - years old. The general, however, is a veteran of 170 military campaigns and is worshiped by his soldiers, particularly because he insists on being in the thick of the fight. (gunfire) And here are actual scenes of the Chinese troops advancing for the counter-attack under the protection of their old-fashioned anti-aircraft guns which bark at enemy scout planes. - comes in mighty handy as a camouflage, but the men advancing to repel any further invasion have to take their chances in the open. So they move forward cautiously, never knowing when some messenger of death may come crashing down from the sky. - forward continues with the troops ready to run to cover, should the bombing be renewed. (gunfire) Commandeered trucks swung through the streets toward Chapei, bringing companies of the marines to hurry the established advance posts. Two-thousand marines were in place within six hours. - amazing difference in the further advance. - as these commanders put their best shots at the front lines. Each have grim necessity of fighting the keen eye of Chinese sharpshooters. - as the Japanese made no further move to advance after capturing Chapei. Those fleeing from the war zone are stopped at these defenses and forced to undergo a strict scrutiny before being allowed admittance to the settlement. Every street leading into the foreign sec- You are looking at the first pictures to arrive in America showing actual conditions in the Shanghai war zone, where the conflict between the Chinese and Japanese forces threatens the peace of the world. Here are Japanese - - normally the busiest street in Chapei, but now practically deserted by its Chinese residents. The troops are on guard day and night to repulse any attempt by the Chinese to return, and are stationed right on the edge of the line marking the entrance to the neutral zone, where 3,500 Americans - - awaiting removal. In spite of the - - Japanese marines arresting suspected snipers and shopkeepers, who stayed behind - - questioned, and afterwards held. Especially severe sentences are - - the few hundred taken were Chinese merchants who refused to desert their homes and belongings. After the barricades have been set up and the sentries posted, a house-to-house search was made for stragglers, until, with the exception of the occupying troops, these ordinarily busy streets have been silenced, and all activity stifled. In the Chapei district alone, 597 factories have been closed, and 115,000 employees forced to flee for their lives. Most of the factories have been dismantled by the Japanese troops, and the estimated damage is put at 75 million dollars. - tied to a pole awaits his fate, while here is a spot that - Although thousands of dead are left lying where they fell, the Chinese make heroic efforts to remove their wounded from the danger zone. Woosung, China's - that this long described are almost beyond words. 31,000 refugees are being fed in 65 relief camps. It's only rice and pellets, but it's food, and it's hot. Brother and sister, little hungry animals filling their stomachs against future need. There is no heat in the emergency quarters, only shelter, and a little food for many mouths. Just as pitiful is the need of the aged, alone, her sons lost. Worst of all, the sick and the wounded.