BRITISH TANKS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 56, 7 March 1942, Page 7

BRITISH TANKS

IN ACTION IN BURMA

Smashing Blow To Jap,

Infantry Forces

United Press Association.—Copyrig-ht. Rec. 2 p.m LONDON, March 6. A Mandalay message states that British tanks smashed Japanese infantry positions near Pegu, 50 miles north-east of Rangoon, in the first tank-attack of the Burma campaign and also inflicted heavy losses.

Reports reaching London from Rangoon state that the task of destruction is being carried out with heartbreaking thoroughness. When the invader arrives he will find no harbour installations, electric light, factories, cars, petrol, food stores, and possibly no people, except looters.

An official British report from Mandalay states that British tank forces supporting infantry north-east of Pegu inflicted terrible losses on the Japanese during a sanguinary battle for the Rangoon-Lashio railway.

A Rangoon communique states that on the Sittang front there is little change. On Wednesday our troops attacked a village area and captured a number of 77 mm. guns and 5-inch mortars. Considerable casualties were inflicted on the enemy. Our troops broke up Japanese supply transports, and patrol action continued throughout the night. The Royal Air Force carried out reconnaissance and patrol work A small patrol of Royal Air Force fighters encountered a large formation of Japanese aircraft and, in spite of numerical superiority the Japanese formation was broken up and one Japanese bomber was shot clown. Our losses were nil. In Rangoon life carries on quietly, but reports are still coming to hand of brutality and lawlessness in outlyinc areas.