JAPANESE REPULSED

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 37, 13 February 1943, Page 5

JAPANESE REPULSED

Attack On British Positions In Burma

SEVERE ENEMY LOSSES British Official Wireless (Rec. 1 p.m.) RUGBY, Feb. 12. An India communique states: A series of sharp enemy counterattacks against our forward positions in the vicinity of Donbaik and Rathedaung completely failed, with severe enemy losses. The Japanese have been reinforcing their troops in this area. In north and west Burma offensive guerilla attacks continue to inflict losses on enemy patrols. In the Chin Hills a body of Japanese 'troops recently attacked forward posts held by Chin. levies, who, after about 24 hours' sharp action, forced the enemy to withdraw with relatively large enemy casualties. R.A.P. Blenheims yesterday bombed Japanese villages and fighters damaged railway and other transport. All our planes returned. British field guns have been landed on the Arakan coast to aid the Royal Indian Navy, which is incessantly pounding the Japanese covering the vital port of Akyab. The guns were taken ashore, amid a network of creeks, rivers and streams, from warships by river craft under the direction of army officers. Considering the smallness of the forces engaged in the fighting along this strange front, it is exacting heavy casualties from both sides. A British lieutenant caught between Japanese mortars and British artillery said the British guns during the short time he 'was there fired 34 tons of shells on a quarter-mile front. Chinese Urge Offensive Chinese authorities at Chungking voiced a warning that unless an offensive in Burma was launched before the monsoon in May, the major drive would be impossible before October, which would delay supplies to China over the Burma Road until late in 1944. Authorities quoted statistics indicating that the Allies had not yet. seriously crippled Japan's sea and air power. They said Japan had lost approximately 1,250,000 tons of shipping in the first year of the war, but they had captured more than 1,000,000 tons of shipping on the coast of China and 500,000 tons of Dutch shipping, thus augmenting the 5,000,000 tons already held. In addition,, the Japanese had raised a considerable number of sunken ships at Hongkong and Singapore. In spite of losses, the Chinese authorities concluded, the Japanese were believed to have 2800 army planes and also 2268 planes. They had a replacement capacity of between 250 and 300 planes and 1000 plane engines a month.