ASSAM PROGRESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24878, 27 April 1944, Page 5

ASSAM PROGRESS

( I.KAIiINIi K 1)111 MA liOAl) ALLIED ASSAULT EXPECTED (Herd. <>.!() p.m.) LONDON, April '-!< i • The l-llli Army (British) has taken the initiative in tin; Imphal area, Assam, ami is making good progress in clearing the supply road up to Kohima. An English county regiment, advancing on each side of the road, has occupied a village 22 miles beyond Imphal, while Indian troops have brushed aside slight enemy opposition in the jungle near by. The remaining 38 miles of road to Kohima is still cut by enemy road blocks at some places. At Kohima itself strong British tank and artillery columns have gone up to join the garrison and are expected to make a combined assault to remove the Japanese threat to the supply road linking the town with Dimapur. This road still remains open, but the enemy is close to it at some points. Allied planes and guns are bombarding the enemy-held hills and ridges in the Kohima area and thick columns of smoke are rising to a great height from burning Japanese installations and supply dumps. At least 4900 Japanese have been killed in the Imphal area since the Japanese offensive began, says the British United Press correspondent in Colombo. The actual figure is probably nearer double this number if one took into account those killed by Allied bombing and shelling, and the many hundreds whom the Japanese have buried. Chinese troops in Northern Burma, supported by tanks, have driven forward six miles in the Mogaung Valley and are now just- over 40 miles from the enemy's supply railway. Royal Air Force and Indian fighters, fighter-bombers and dive-bombers have continued their intensive attacks in daylight on Japanese positions, supply areas, river craft, bridges and railway stations in the Arakan, Kaladan and May it areas, and in Central and North-west Burma. Long-range R.A.F. fighters, over the Gulf of Martabi, destroyed two tugs and damaged a number of other craft and also a landing stage. Air commando fighters and bombers of the Tactical Air Forces, escorted by R.A.F. fighters, bombed and strafed targets in the Indaw area. From all these operations no Aliied aircraft are missing. RUMOURS DISCOUNTED RELATIONS OF ALLIES LONDON, April '25 Rumours of disagreement in the Allied High Command in South-east .Asia which have appeared in the world press are strongly repudiated by official quarters in London, says the British official wireless. It is stated on good authority there that there is no divergence between the Indian and South-east Asia Commands, or between the British and American view on the conduct of the campaign. While serious criticism is not resented, the message adds, repetition of baseless scandal is felt to be unfair to the troops fighting an arduous campaign and is likely to serve no useful purpose, except to. the Japanese. EVACUATING CONSTANZA REPORT FROM ANKARA (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, April 20 According to an Ankara report, the German High Command has started evacuating Constat!/.a, Rumania, and will make Varna, Bulgaria, its Black Sea base. A Soviet communique says that two more enemy troop transports have been sunk between Sebastopol and Constanza. Others were damaged. Renter's correspondent points out that the renewed Russian offensive against Sebastopol, which is reported from Berlin but is not confirmed in Moscow, is evidently concentrated on :i narrow sector between two hills. There, according to German reports, Red Armv tanks, artillery and planes temporarily breached the German defences, after which the Germans succeeded in sealing off the breach and gaining respite.