THE WAR IN EAST ASIA

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 64, Issue 4522, 12 January 1942, Page 5

THE WAR IN EAST ASIA

BURMA IS MORE THAN CHINA’S BACK DOOR

ITS IMPORTANCE TO THE PACIFIC

(By a Special Correspondent of the “ Sydney Morning Herald ”)

The importance of Burma to the Allied cause has grown considerably r-ftli the defection of Thailand and the 'Japanese successes in Malaya. At the outbreak of war with Japan a golden opportunity was missed of joining the British forces in South Burma with those in Malaya by overrunning the narrow strip of Thailand separating the two countries. This would have given the British control of the South Thailand railway. As it is, British forces in Burma and Malaya are now widely separated, and. the Japanese have gained a foothold on the west coast of Malaya from which to attempt interference with shipping, not only in the Straits of Malacca, but also further north along the Tenasserim coast of South Borneo. Burma is thus now forced to rely upon its own powers of defence to prevent its rich resources from falling into Japanese hands, and, in addition, to render all aid to the hardpressed defenders of Malaya by a lateral attack on the enemy firmly entrenched eastwards. For a long time now Burma has been recognised as a back-door to Free China. If Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines should be put out of action, it will also become the backdoor through which a renewed thrust to the Pacific will have to be undertaken. It is of vital importance, therefore, that Burma be well defended and made a secure base for offensive action against the Japanese and the puppet Government of Thailand. MOUNTAIN MASSES Burma is of most irregular shape. Its extreme length north to south is 1200 tnijes, east to west 575 miles. In the north-east there is a distinct bulge towards Indo-China, while for 500 miles or so to the south of Rangoon the width of the country gradually decreases as it tapers down into the Malay Peninsula, finally petering out at Victoria Point. In general, it may be said that Burma is fortunate in having its natural barriers, largely impassable, facing its enemies. In the north and north-east of Burma is the Shan plateau, some 3500 ft high, with certain peaks rising to 8000 ft. Hereon lie the North Shan States and the South Shan States. Many of these States are undeveloped, and their population is sparse. The country is dissected by range after range of mountains, and there is usually only one good road winding snakelike over the mountain passes to connect the capital towns. This Shan plateau is part of the great Yunnan plateau of China, and begins abruptly some 400 miles to the north of Rangoon. It is through this wild plateau that the so-called Burma Road runs from Lashio (in the North Shan State) to Kunming in Yunnan. The Japanese on the Yunnan-Indo-China border can attack only by way of the Kunming-Haiphong railway, or up the valley of the Mekong or by air. The first two possibilities could be countered by an alert body Of troops, and the third by Allied fighter aeroplanes patrolling the road. The district is not healthy for any invader, being one of the most malarial in the East. BARRIERS IN EAST In the South Shan States a railway runs to Taunggyi, on the plateau, and thence a mountain road for nearly 400 miles to the Kengtung border, facing both Indo-China and Thailand. It was over this road that the writer escaped from Thailand. To the east of the Salween River, which runs north to south through the Shan plateau, the road is so narnow and dangerous that only one-way traffic is allowed. The road suffers from landslides, and is often blocked by fallen trees. Effective demolition work could render it useless to an invader. If he should succeed in getting through the swiftly-flowing, bridgeless river, Salween would offer an impassable barrier. It would seem, therefore, that Burma is safe from attack in this direction. For the same reasons, however, it would be equally difficult for the British to launch an offensive from the Shan States. South from the Shan States, and

forming the eastern boundary of Burma, stretches a series of mountain ranges, a branch of w|iich continues as far south as Victoria Point, in Tenasserim. Until the war broke out the boundaries were guarded only by the Burma frontier force, but gradually other troops, especially Indian, have taken up positions on the frontier facing Thailand. The railway from Rangoon stops short at Moulmein, at the mouth of the Salween River; and the district south is served only by the small ports of Tavoy and Mergui. The district possesses few good roads, afnd there are several short, swiftly-flowing rivers to the Bilauktaung range facing Thailand. ’ . i OLD APPROACH ROUTE The time-honoured route from Burma to the Siamese capital in the days of “Siamese White” and the East India Company was the Tenasserim River and over the mountain passes. The Japanese may force a passage over this range or work up the Tenasserim coast from Victoria Point, which is already in their possession, perhaps with naval as well as with air support from the bases they have obtained in north-west Malaya. Tenasserim is the obvious base for a British attack on Thailand, as the south Thailand railway, feeding the Japanese forces further south, is comparatively close. We may expect, therefore, a series of bombing attacks on the Tenasserim bases by the Japanese, and on the Thai railway by the British before operations .in, this region. Farther north, Rangoon, the port of disembarkation of reinforcements from India, is likely to suffer much from air raids. A little to the south of Rangoon lies Syriam, the site of the ojl; refinery, to which a pipeline leads some 300 miles from the impor-tant-oilfields at Yenangyaung and Chauk, to the west of the Irrawaddy River. Rangoon has been preparing for -a long time for air raids. It has as chief of its efficient A.R.P. service an expert whowas in London during the “blitz” of 1940. A large part of the civil population has already been evacuated. Its guardian aerodrome at Mingaladon, 20 miles to the north, is now one of the largest and best in the East.

The central plains of Burma, through which flows the Irrawaddy, are the country’s most populous regions. Through them from Rangoon there are excellent connections with the north by rail, road and river. The mighty Irrawaddy is navigable as far as Bhamo, near the Chinese frontier. Though the Japanese might attempt to bomb the Mandalay road and railway, it is not likely that river traffic can be seriously interfered with. THE DRY SEASON There is no doubt that the oil, teak, rice, wolfram, tin, and silver of Burma will be vigorously defended against Japanese attack, and as much aid rendered to the forces in Malaya as possible. But we must guard against facile optimism with regard to this latter possibility. For a long time Burma received no modern weapons of war, which of necessity had to be sent to the Middle East and Russia. No doubt this situation has been improved. Certainly now would seem the time for land operations in Burma. Unlike Malaya, which gets some rain throughout the year, Burma is a monsoon country. The rains are heavy. They begin about the middle of May and finish at the end of September, and more than 100 inches of rain falls within this year. October is fine and very hot. Then in November begins the cool dry season, when the weather is perfect until February, hot (though continuing to be dry) in March, April, and May, until the rains start again. Thus it will be seen that from now until May the weather is of little hindrance to the soldier, and, in fact, provides perfect fighting conditions until February. The paddy fields are dry and hard, the crops are gathered. Both British and Japanese would give a great deal to be able to operate their land forces on the more level ground on the far side of the mountain barriers facing them.