ADVANCE IN BURMA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 26 June 1945, Page 5

ADVANCE IN BURMA

NO SERIOUS OPPOSITION ENEMY SHORT OF SUPPLIES (Rec. 10.5 a.m.) Rugby, June 25. British and Indian troops pursuing the Japanese retreating to the east along the Toungoo-Mawchi Road have met no serious opposition since Japanese defences collapsed at Milestone 20 a few days ago, writes a Burma correspondent. Japanese in this area appear short of supplies. One Indjan patrol discovered a party of Japanese attempting to salvage foodstuffs which had been dropped wide in the jungle, but the party made off when mortared. Further north on the Kalawm Road along which the Japanese are also trying to escape, Allied forces are nearly at Heho, where there are several airfields. TROOPS MUST HAVE EQUIPMENT Lieut.-General Slim, speaking in Edinburgh, said one of the questions he was most frequently asked was when the war with Japan was going to end. “I have only one answer,” he said. “If you send us the stuff we shall finish the job. We have gone on for a long time on two bootlaces and bamboo, but if you want this war finished quickly we must have the stuff.” General Slim said medical returns of the Fourteenth Army shown to him just before he left Burma a month ago, disclosed that troops there enjoyed better health than armies fighting in Germany.

DRIVE BY CHINESE ATTEMPT TO RE-CAPTURE KWEILIN (Rec. 12.10 p.m.) Chungking:, June 25. The Chinese High Command announced that Chinese troops in a renewed drive to re-capture Kweilin clashed with strong Japanese forces 15 miles north-west of the city. Chinese are now within 11 miles of the escape railway to Hengyang for Japanese garrisons in both Kweilin and Liuchow. where Japanese rearguards are still fighting stubbornly. ROYAL VISIT TO NEW GUINEA Canberra, June 25. The Governor-General, the Duke of Gloucester, left Sydney to-day by air to tour the forward areas in New Guinea. His tour will occupy three weeks and cover more than 10,000 miles. In the past few weeks, the Duke, travelling mainly by air, has visited every State of the Commonwealth.