HEROIC DEFENCE IN BURMA

Southland Times, Issue 24685, 5 March 1942, Page 5

HEROIC DEFENCE IN BURMA

INADEQUATE AIR SUPPORT IMPORTANT STAGE IN FIGHTING (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, March 3. The battle of the Salween, Bilin and Sittang rivers has reached a most important stage, reports the Mandalay correspondent of The Times. The British are holding strong positions on the west bank of the Sittang river, but are again handicapped by inadequate air support to fight dive-bombers and by lack of communications. Nevertheless, a most determined resistance is being put up, and the Japanese have suffered heavy casualties. When the order for the withdrawal across the Sittang came a railway bridge behind the Imperial troops had already been blown up, and they had to swim. Dive-bombers swooped on them. Many non-swimmers were drowned. Some officers and men remained and fought the enemy to the death. TRYING CLIMATE Speaking in the House of Lords the Under-Secretary for the Colonies, the Duke of Devonshire referred to the difficulties of climate experienced in Burma by British troops, who had to fight with the equipment required by modern conditions, and sleep without mosquito nets which made their conditions worse than anything experienced on the Western Desert in the last war. Their defence; under Lieuten-ant-General Hutton, had been nothing short of heroic. The Duke also referred to the

remarkable results achieved up to now by a relatively small force of

Royal Air Force and the American Volunteer Group in repulsing frequent and almost constant raids by the Japanese. On February 25 and 26, 51 enemy aircraft were accounted for, with the loss of two defenders. No fewer than 160 Japanese aircraft had been accounted for, including those on these two days, but not including losses inflicted on enemy aircraft on the ground or in enemy-occupied territory.