THE FAR EAST

Evening Star, Issue 24297, 11 September 1942, Page 2

THE FAR EAST

CHINESE COUNTER-OFFENSIVE MAY PROVE TURNING POINT OF WAR (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent.) LONDON, September t). The Chinese counter-offensive in tho provinces of Chekiang and Kiangsi has been watched with interest in London, even if it lias been given relatively scanty publicity. In these areas tho Chinese are recapturing airfields from which Japanese cities and bases in Formosa can be bombed. Therefore Chinese repair squads arc speeding up the restoration of the air bases, which the Japanese demolished when they retreated. In addition to Chuhsien, which is tho largest airfield in Asia, the Chinese have also captured Lanki, while the latest reports state that the Japanese are suffering heavy casualties in their attempts to counter-attack at Kinwha. After capturing Burma the Japanese, realising that they had to cut olf China from 'Western aid, thought they could safelv knock out Chimp and consequently they began to clean up the area between tbo coast and the CantonHaukow railway. After that they envisaged a combined offensive from tho east” the south, and tho west on Chungking. Last May the Japanese began to advance from Hangchow and Nanchang, striving to close tho railway gap between those two points. The Japanese made progress, but towards the middle of June the Chinese began a counteroffensive, which has been most successful. Last week tho Chinese announced that they had reached the outskirts of Nanchang and recaptured the last important Japanese strongholds in Southern Chekiang, and were launching a vigorous counter-offensive along tho Canton-Hankow railway. The ‘ News-Chronicle ’ states: “ These Chinese successes immediately poise tho question of Kiangsi and Chekiang as bases for an offensive against the Japanese on land inside China and by air against Japan itself, and against the highly important advance post of Formosa.” . The paper adds that until the Burma road is reopened and until adequate supplies of war material flow from India to China, the Chinese springboard cannot bo fully used, which necessitates the recapture of Burma. There is a growing feeling that the Chinese successes have not received the attention they deserve, particularly as they may prove the turning point of the" war in the Far East.