AID FROM BLENHEIMS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 104, 5 May 1942, Page 5

AID FROM BLENHEIMS

ENEMY BARGES HIT

LONDON, May 4.' The Japanese-occupied dock area at Rangoon was still smouldering from the attack by United States bombers when Blenheims swooped down on barges crammed with Japanese troops moving up, the Chindwin River, west of Mandalay. The Blenheims flew through a fierce anti-aircraft barrage and scored direct hits on the barges. All the bombers got back to their bases. The Chindwin runs along one of the flanks of General Alexander's retreating forces, and our troops are fighting a rearguard action 50 miles west of Mandalay. ' The enemy force moving up the Chindwin is said to be a small one and is thought to be one arm of a pincer movement which is reaching out —so far unavailingly—to trap the Allied armies. The Blenheims' raid is expected to relieve General Alexander's hard-pressed troops. Lashio has been left far behind by the Japanese, and. Chungking speaks of battles about 60 miles to the north. The Chinese force in Taunggyi is keeping up its attack. ENCIRCLING MOVE. An earlier report stated that it appears that the Japanese are making a supreme effort to carry out an encircling movement with the object of cutting off the British, Indian, and Chinese forces. Our forces are believed to be still intact in the area between the Chindwin and the Irrawaddy. In this area the Chinese are going back up the Irrawaddy. It is stated in London that there are two main Japanese advances in the encircling movement, but that it is difficult to estimate which is the stronger. One is along the Chindwin, in the rear of our forces, and the other in the eastern sector of the Burma Road to Lashio. No British troops are in this eastern sector. A New Delhi message, quoting Chungking, reports that 65 miles nprth of Lashio the Japanese. have launchvl a fierce attack on the Chinese positions and are meeting determined resistance. In addition, other Chinese troops operating behind the Japanese lines are keeping up their attacks and are making appreciable gains.