SECRET FORCE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23205, 19 May 1945, Page 5

SECRET FORCE

Frontier Tribesmen In Burma Valuable Help To British By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright (Rec. 8 p.m.) BOMBAY, May 18. The existence of a secret force which has waged war upon the Japanese far in advance of our official frontline since early in 1942 has just been revealed, says the special correspondent of the Australian Associated Press.

Many New Zealand airmen who must remain for the time being anonymous, shared the hazards of the enterprise, dropping leaders and organisers. The force must not be confused with the Wingate expedition. It was composed of loyal guerrillas recruited by British officers. The recruits were frontier tribesmen of the Burman mountain regions. The least co-operative w r ere Burmans from the plain country, who repeatedly gave away to the Japanese the whereabouts of officers, and greeted them with knives and spears. The main fruit of the campaign was the intelligence collected by Kachin officers, who were secretly trained in India and who were parachuted back into Burma. Next came the actual losses to Japanese through ambushes and swift attacks on communications—railways were cut in dozens of places and hundreds of Japanese were silently killed. Even after the Wingate expedition withdrew and the Japanese took terrible toll of revenge on Burmese tribesmen who had helped, these hillmen remained loyal. Chin villagers' welcomed the British with ceremonial dances, drinking feats, theatricals and even a boat race and garden party. Rangoon, although coming back to life, presents the most horrifying spectacle of sadistic vandalism the mind can imagine, reports an observer with the British forces. There is not a house without broken windows, smashed doors, timbers stripped and nearby an accumulation of garbage and filth. The air is thick with flies. All the damage was not done by warfare. The damage that startles and horrifies is that done to dwellings and shops. The Japanese, apparently realising that they could not hold the city indefinitely, proceeded to tear its heart out and repaired nothing. During the Japanese occupation life was a reign of terror for the population. Food was always very short. Suspicion of espionage was enough to bring torture. To own an electric torch was a crime. The most shocking sight was the cathedral, which the Japanese used as a factory to make sauces and saki. It is a most horrible accumulation of garbage and filth and millions of flies rise in clouds, filling the air with a buzz heard 50 yards away. It will take months to clean Rangoon. Submarine Sunk A British submarine patrolling ofi Southern Burma sank a “floating island” packed With Japanese troops. It was an unusually large landingcraft concealed under a camouflage of palm trees and foliage. “Through the periscope I saw what appeared to be an island with two palm trees and hibiscus and other foliage entwining them,” said Lieutenant A. G. Chandler, commander of the submarine. “The island was moving rapidly about a mile from us. I studied the phenomenon for a little while and heads became visible among the foliage. We came to the surface and opened fire. A four-inch shell scored a direct hit on the landing-craft ■which blew up with a terrific explosion.” The latest figures of enemy casualties in- Burma, available to last Monday, show that since February 2 last year, 105,328 Japanese have been killed. The total includes figures and returns for outlying areas not previously incorporated. The Japanese remnants in Burma, numbering more than 60,000, have been carved up into three main groups, writes a correspondent in Burma. This is the result of the Allied capture of the Rangoon-Mandalay and RangoonPro.ne railways, following the Allied link-up to-day 60 miles north of Rangoon.

The three groups are located roughly as follows: (1) About 44,000 east of th< Manda-lay-Rangoon railway trying to escape east into the Shen hills and Siam. Many of these are east of Thazi on the escape route from Central Burma, which is being attacked from the air. Most of the Japanese in this area are trying to withdraw southwards in the direction of Moulmein. the terminus of the Burma-Siam railway, which was badly damaged by Allied bombing. It is unlikely that much heavy equipment Will be got away and the Japanese may try to make a stand at Moulmein, where the defences are reported to be strong. (2) Between ti.c Mandalay-Rangoon and the Mandalay-Prome railways, in Central Burma, where 12,000 Japanese are believed to be trying to filter eastwards through the 14 th Army positions along the Mandalay-Rangoon axis. The chances of their getting through are thought to be poor. (3) West of the Prome-Rangoon railway and the Irrawaddy Valley in the south-east corner of Burma. Disorganised bands, numbering 6000 have been finally sealed off by the linkup north of Rangoon to-day and Indian troops are pressing south-east from Prome. Some scattered Japanese in this coastal area are trying to escape by sea. Others are trying to filter eastwards through the Allied positions along the Irrawaddy and the PromeRangoon railway, and are meeting losses. They tried to break through the 14th Army position west of Thayetmyo, 40 miles north of Prome, into the Irraw’addy Valley. More than 5000 prisoners have been captured from the Japanese. _