TOWN CAPTURED

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 62, 14 March 1944, Page 5

TOWN CAPTURED

ADVANCE IN BURMA

Allied Aircraft Giving Support

To Ground Forces British Official Wireless Rec. 1 p.m. RUGBY, Mar. 13. Buthidaung has been captured and the advance across Northern Burma continues.

"Further successful water-borne raids were made on Saturday night on Japanese positions in the coastal plain south of Maungdaw," states South-east Asia Headquarters. "East of the Mayu Range we forced the enemy out of their Htindaw Hjll positions. The Japanese are being driven from another group of hills a little to the east. In the past three days other Allied troops have been making local attacks in the Buthidaung sector, and after occupying Buthidaung on Saturday strengthened their positions by clearing the enemy from the high ground to the south and south-west.

"In the Kaladan Valley we have captured an enemy position northwest of Kyauktaw. Enemy columns, operating on our left and right flanks in the Chin Hills, made a further slight northward movement yesterday. In the Kabaw Valley the Japanese northward movement continued.

"In North Burma the Chinese and Americans advanced two miles south along the road from Walawbum. Leading Chinese elements five miles south of Chanmoi are astride the road flanking it, west of the Hukanng Valley.

"United States medium and fighterbombers are very active in Northern Burma, supporting the land forces. Fighters, dive-bombers and fighterbombers by night and day attacked targets in the Arakan, Mayu, Kaladan and Chin Hills and in the Chindwin areas. Long-range fighters attacked communications and other targets in Central and Southern Burma. No Allied aircraft was lost in all these operations." It is reported from New Delhi that a small number of raiders yesterday dropped a few bombs on the Silchar area in Assam. The first reports indicate that casualties and damage was very slight.