BURMA FRONT

Grey River Argus, 13 May 1943, Page 5

BURMA FRONT

Cause of British Reverse

LONDON, May 11. “Nothing can be gamed by trying to explain the British reverse in Arakan as other than failure,” says the “Daily Telegraph’s” Calcutta correspondent. The Indian Associated 'Press surveying the position, says that the Japanese are now almost back where they were before the British offensive last December. “The consoling feature is that the failure is on only a small scale, which will undoubtedly; be redeemed triumphantly when we have sufficient men, planes and ships for a real offensive, ■fhe failure can be ascribed basically to causes outside the Indian Command’s control. We could make a successful sea-borne assault against Akyab if the available shipping had not been needed for the African campaign. The Japanese could not have counter-aittacked > strongly enough to push us back as they have done now if we had held Akyab.' The secondary causes of the reverse must be sought partly in officers’ errors of judgment and partly in the troops’ insufficient training for Arakan conditions. Some local commanders at the outset under-estim-ated not so much the numerical strength of the Japanese as their lighting qualities.” The “Daily, Telegraph’s” correspondent adds : “I was convinced on occasions during my first visit to the Arakan front in the New Year that the employment of a few additional companies would have given us complete success in the limited objectives then sought. Difficulties of supply were doubtless, the reason why we did not use additional troops, but there was also unfounded confidence among officers on the spot that they had sufficient men for the job. . They, realised their mistake too late, when even the bringing in of a. fresh brigade could not. compensate- for the shortage of a few hundred men ' a couple of months previously. “High officers admit frankly that the men needed a considerably longer period of training, many lacking any previous experience of jungle warfare. The, Japanese facing them were not only fully trained in jungle fighting but were also seasoned in the Burma campaign. Our troops, man for man, were at a disadvantage.”

BOOTY CAPTURED AT BUTHIDAUNG. _ RUGBY, May 11. Rome Radio states that the Japanese, after taking Buthidating captured a great number of prisoners and a large quantity of booty. The radio adds that the capture of Maungdaw, which is being attacked from the rear, is only a question of a' few days and that the threat to India’s east door is becoming more and more serious.

U.S. BOMBER ATTACKS.

RUGBY, May 11.

A New Delhi communique states: American bombers on Monday attacked Wataung, north of Mandalay. Engine sheds and trucks received direct hits. Other targets included Nayaseik and Myitkyina' area of Twaitu CitH which were set on lire. Pyawbwe railway junction was also bombed. All the planes returned.