UNDER PRESSURE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 80, 6 April 1942, Page 5

UNDER PRESSURE

BRITISH LEAVE PROME NORTH BURMY BOMBED (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) New Delhi, April 3. Owing to the pressure on the Prome front the British forces have withdrawn from their advanced positions around Prome hack to the main defences. The enemy, in considerable strength, on the evening of Wednesday, says a communique, attacked our covering force m Prome, penetrating the defencethrough the jungle east of the main road anti securing high ground south of Prome. The lighting continued throughout the night and our forces early yesterday moved back to fresh covering positions north of Prome. The remainder of our forces concentrated in new areas. The Japanese vanguard troops at Toungoo are reported to be advancing west of the railway. They have reached a point south-west of Yedashe. The Chinese forces still control the railway between Yedashe and a point immediately north of Toungoo. Two waves of Japanese planes early on the afternoon of March 31 bombed a town in North Burma. The first wave dropped bombs near the railway station, damaging coolie barracks. There was a small number of civilian casualties. The other attack was against an aerodrome, but most of the bombs fell outside it, causing no R.A.F. damage or casualties. A landing ground in Central Burma was bombed on the same day, first by bombers and later by fighters, but no material damage was done to R..A.F. buildings. There were no casualties in either raid. INCORRECT REPORT ON . AKYAB LANDING CHINESE ACKNOWLEDGMENT Chungking, April 3. The Chinese army spokesman said to-day that the official British denial showed that his announcement that the Japanese had landed at Akyab was incorrect. The spokesman said his statement was based on military intelligence reports received by way of American sources. COLONEL’S DEATH TREACHERY IN BURMA London. April 1. The treachery of the local population has created tremendous difficulties for the British forces in Burma, says the Daily Mail’s Calcutta correspondent. For a month, he said, he had watched this treachery, but the censor had previously defeated all efforts to tell the story. “Here is a recent example,” said the correspondent. “A colonel and his orderly-sergeant, both wounded, escaped from the Japanese by swimmiiv across a river. The Burmese welcomed them, gave them food, and showed them where they could rest. “At night, while they slept, their hosts attacked the soldiers knives, and the colonel was killed, but the sergeant escaped, badly gashed, to tell the story.”

HOSTILE POPULATION DIFFICULTIES at prome Rugby, April 3. In connection with the withdrawal o£ the British forces from Prome, but not before inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy, it is learned authoritatively in London that the attitude of the inhabitants has caused great difficulty in this area where they are hostile, and organised and led by the Japanese. The Chinese troops on the Toungoo front are stated to be fighting well and putting up a stout and obstinate defence, and killing a great many of the enemy. There is no continuous front between the Irrawaddy and Sittang Valleys, but contact is maintained across the intervening hilly and wooded area 2000 feet high, whic.\ is roadless.—B.O.W. RAID ON COLOMBO JAPANESE LOSE MANY PLANES (Recd. 1.5 a.m.) Colombo, April 5. An air-raid alert this morning was the longest thus far. People sheltering in open trenches saw 25 planes in one formation with Shells bursting around them. Bombs are reported to have fallen at some points. It is reported that 27 Japanese planes were shot down, live were probably shot down, and 25 others were damaged. SEVERE AIR ATTACKS MANDALAY BOMBED (Recd. 9.30 p.m.) Rugby, April 4. A Burma communique states:— “The withdrawal of our covering force from Prome proceeded satisfactorily yesterday. The enemy followed up hard but was successfully dealt with. During the withdrawal our troops were subjected to a severe air attack, causing some casualties. Mandalay was bombed heavily yesterday morning. There was no military damage, though a hospital caught lire and the patients had to be moved to safety. Two other towns in central Burma were bombed yesterday. The damage was light.—B.O.W.

CHINESE JJFE LINES NEW ROUTES TO INDIA Chungking, April 2. Three units of Chinese, each numbering 100 and including engineers, doctors, road experts and map-makers, with armed guards, are leaving Kunming soon to survey a temporary coolie and animal transport route to India which can be used for the transportation of vital materials till the new India Road is completed. The route will follow a general line from western Yunnan through Upper Burma to India.

Another route to be considered leads north-west from Kunming into Sinkiang and thence through Tibet. Mr. Kunz Hsui-hsui, head of the Chinese National Transport Board, disclosed to a correspondent of the United Press of America that lines “A” and “B" of the India Road will be completed shortly, supplementing the present India-China aerial transportation system. In spite of Japan’s blockage of the Burma Road by the seizure of the Irrawaddy Delta, thousands of American trucks will soon be rushing war materials to China from India, over two new routes winding through the Indian mountains and jungles. Mr. Kung said that American air transport planes of the latest types were spanning the snow-covered mountains linking Burma with Tibet, moving urgent war material to Chungking. In addition to this, supplies were being carried ovr mule paths and camel tracks from Calcutta to Chungking.