BATTLE FOR MANDALAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25799, 21 March 1945, Page 5

BATTLE FOR MANDALAY

STEADY CLEAN-UP OF CITY

COLOMBO, Mar. 19. The battle for Mandalay is virtually won, cables a Burma correspondent. The Nineteenth Division has been steadily cleaning up the city and completing the encirclement of 11 ort Dufferin. The Japanese commander was yesterday requested to release internees, mostly British and Burmans. imprisoned in Fort Dufferin, says the Australian Associated Press correspondent. Suspension of activities against the fort was guaranteed to ensure the safe passage of prisoners. So far no reply has been received. The remaining core of resistance in the town itself is centred in the hospital area, immediately south of tne f °From its role of a long-range penetration force the Nineteenth Division is now concentrating on the army s main objective—to kill off the Japanese Burma army. Of 50,000 Japanese facing the Thirty-third and Thirtyfourth Corps in the Mandalay area, 12,000 have been killed .since the present phase opened early in the new ye .An interested visitor with General Slim yesterday was the Governor oi Bengal, Mr R. G. Casey, who was briefly visiting the Fourteenth Army. Mr Casey flew over Mandalay, and saw operations from Mandalay Hill. “Japanese opposition has been maintained in the southern part of Mandalay and Fort Dufferin,” states a Southeast Asia Command communique “Our troops who gained a firm hold on the southern road and rail exits from Mandalay north of Kyaukse have operated successfully against the Japanese attempting to escape with their heavy equipment. In the Meiktna area our armoured columns carrying out wide sweeps killed 200 more of the enemy and captured more equipment Satisfactory progress is being made towards the oilfields area adjoining the Irrawaddy.”