He fears rain more than shells. Keeping dry on the Shanghai front. Amber alert seems a strange addition to the soldiers kit in time of war, but this Chinese century found it useful on the Shanghai front, where incessant rains made it necessary. The Chinese have often been derided as 'fairweather soldiers'and the umbrella might seem to bear out the contention in Western eyes. But most of the troops now fighting Japanese are irregular and are ill-equipped to sound weather conditions of the front. The umbrella, which is light and easily carried, serves to keep the soldier and his equipment modestly dry. 28 October 1937