FIGHTING IN BURMA

Southland Times, Issue 24681, 28 February 1942, Page 5

FIGHTING IN BURMA

FIERCE BATTLES ON SITTANG RAID ON RANGOON FAILS (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 27. Fighting in the Sittang river region has reached new heights of ferocity. The Japanese threw in wave after wave of fresh troops. Reports from Mandalay declare that Pagu is still in British hands, but there is no assurance that the RangoonMandalay trunk road has not been cut at one point five miles west of the Sittang river. The evacuation of Rangoon is almost complete, and only police, demolition workers, some essential workers and army personnel remain. Thirty Japanese planes were shot down for certain and others were probably destroyed in the heaviest air raid yet made on Rangoon. Royal Air Force fighters made straight for the groups of Japanese planes and tore into them, heading directly for the bombers which broke formation. Numerous dog fights followed. The raid, from a Japanese viewpoint, was a complete failure. A later message states that much encouragement is drawn from the result of the second day’s air assault on Ran-

goon when again a large number of Japanese aircraft were brought down. The British Press compares the action to the Battle of Britain on a smaller S No authoritative figures are yet available, but correspondents in Burma estimate Japanese losses yesterday at between 21 and 34 planes, bringing the losses for two days to a total of over 50. The Central News, Chungking, states that American volunteer pilots known as “the Flying Tigers” shot down 34 Japanese planes over Thailand yesterday and today. No American planes were lost. THREAT TO CHINESE A Chinese Army spokesman stated that a continual flow of Japanese reinforcements was streaming from Bangkok into Northern Thailand where the enemy was building bases for a land and air offensive against the Chinese. The Japanese had massed 21,000 troops at Chiengmai and 35,000 at Chiengrai. The air forces at both places were also being reinforced. This was interpreted as a preparation for intensive Japanese bombing and for an effort to ferry parachutists over the impassable mountains west of Chiengmai. Additional Chinese forces were moving into Burma.