NAVAL COMMANDS JAPANESE COMMERCE RAIDERS SECOND BURMA ROAD CHINA STANDS FIRM

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 39, 16 February 1942, Page 6

NAVAL COMMANDS

JAPANESE COMMERCE RAIDERS

SECOND BURMA ROAD

CHINA STANDS FIRM

BUILDING IN CHINA

NEW YORK, February 13,

A Chungking communique states that the Chinese have recaptured Kwoyang in northern Anhwei, within 24 hours of its occupation by the Japanese who, having lost 500 killed and wounded, are now in full retreat.

The United Press correspondent at Kunming says that hundreds of thousands of coolies, women and children, are working almost with their bare hands building a new highway into China in order to maintain the influx of supplies if the Burma Road is cut. Completion of the road is expected very soon.

The Government is also busy building and improving other vital roads. The width of the Kunming-Chungking road was recently doubled, thus permitting the use on. it of huge army trucks and artillery.

VICTORY COMING NEARER

WASHINGTON, February 13,

President Roosevelt has received an assurance from Mr. Owen Lattimore, the. U.S. political adviser to Marshal

Chiang Kai-shek, that the Chinese will continue fighting. .

Mr. Lattimore said to the Press that China was one of the strongest sectors in the front of the united nations.

China is nearer to victory over Japan after five years of fighting than ever before. Even if the Burma Road were cut, China would be able to continue her resistance.

The 500,000,000-dollar loan by the U.S. has made an excellent impression in China.

NEW PACIFIC ORGANISATION

(Rec. 9 a.m.) BATAVIA, Feb. 15,

Under the new naval set-up in the south-west Pacific, Vice-Admiral Helfrich commands all naval forces in the ABDA area. Commodore J. A.^Collins, former captain of the cruiser Sydney, commands the British and Australian forces. Rear-Admiral W. A. Glassford commands the United States forces.

Both are directly under the control of Vice-Admiral Helfrich, who in turn operates under. General Wavell. It is understood that neither Commodore Collins nor Rear-Admiral Glassford's posts are seagoing ones.

Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton has an independent command operating directly on orders from the British Admiralty. -His force will co-operate with Vice-Admiral Helfrich's.

(Rec. 9 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 15. Admiral of the Fleet the Earl of Cork and Orrery said in a speech that Japan had built a special ' type of motor-ship designed as a commerce raider and that "we shall soon hear of them operating in the Pacific, the. Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic."