New Japanese Advance

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 42, 19 February 1942, Page 7

New Japanese Advance

BILIN RIVER CROSSED

LONDON, February 18. A new battle has begun in Burma where the Japanese have started a fresh attack in an effort to reach the railway some distance north of Rangoon to Lashio, the terminus of the Burma Road to China. >

In Burma sharp fighting has.been proceeding since yesterday. This is reported in a Rangoon communique picked up by the Columbia Broadcasting System from All-India radio.

The communique said: "The enemy attacked the left flank of our line yesterday and this resulted in hand-to-hand fighting.

"A counter-attack was then put in by Gurkha troops who restored the situation. The enemy last night crossed the Bilin River in small boats at some places. Fighting raged throughout the night and was still continuing this morning. Our forces are holding their positions."

It was stated yesterday that our troops had withdrawn to the line of the Bilin River, and had taken up new positions there after the Japanese had crossed the Salween. Today's reports state that fighting- has extended along the entire front and that new enemy forces have been thrown into the battle.

There also appear to be concentra- usually follow jungle tracks, keeping tions of enemy troops^and air forces .J&g^^tad well so on the northern Indo-China front. far but t h e more open ground on the

Our bombers attacked an aerodrome in northern Thailand occupied by the , Japanese. R.A.F. bombers were also active against Japanese communications in the Sahveen. River area. . . . . The Bilin River is in some places as close as 30 miles to the railway from

Rangoon to Lashio. Japanese cyclists, disguised in Burmese dress, are^ being used in the enemy advance towards Rangoon. They move by night, and

Bilin River is likely to prove more difficult for them where we. have a good range of fire and, in addition, local air superiority. The R.A.F. communique from Rangoon says that our planes again raided Japanese bases in Burma. In the Martaban area they did damage to enemy concentrations, stores, and boats.

All this was in addition to the normal reconnaissance of enemy territory carried out by the R.A.F. and Indian Air Force.