Chinese Offensive Successes Burma

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 109, 11 May 1942, Page 5

Chinese Offensive Successes Burma

Threat to Yunnan Temporarily Removed

(By Telegraph —Press Assn. — Copyright.) Received Sunday, 9.30 p.m. NEW DELHI, May 9. A furthor withdrawal of the British forces from their positions in Central Burma to prearranged positions further north was carried out successfully, states a Burma communique. No contact was made with the enemy. Japanese planes were very active, especially over the Chindwin River arsa where military objectives were divebombed and machine-gunned. Little if any military damage was sustained, but it is feared civilian refugees going to India suffered.

A Chungking communique states thst Japanese columns advancing up the Burma Road north-east of Chefang have been routed by Chinese counterattacks. One Japanese column of a thousand men was wiped out and another crushingly defeated, losing half its original strength. A later Chungking communique states that the Chinese forces which have been cut off in Burma counterattacked from Tanggyi and recaptured Maymo, 25 miles north-east of Mandalay, thus severing the principal communication line for the Japanese column which is driving along the Burma Road to Yunnan. The Japanese forces which attempted to counterattack in the Maymo region are “being bottled up and are facing annihilation.”

Another Japanese unit numbering 600 is encircled and beleaguered by the Chinese on the Burma Road north-east of Chefang. The Chinese spokesman later stated that the Chinese force which recaptured Maymo advanced 90 miles northward and is now fiercely attacking. It has reached the outskirts of Mandalay, also the nearby town of Sagaing and other Burmese cities. The Tokio radio states that the Japanese have occupied Myitkyina without fighting. The British United Press’ Kunming correspondent reports that American volunteer planes smashed a Japanese column attempting to cross the Salween River on Friday, thus temporarily removing tha Invasion danger to Southern Yunnan.