JAPANESE REVERSE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 116, 20 May 1942, Page 5

JAPANESE REVERSE

FLUNG BACK BY CHINESE PAOSHAN NOW SECURE (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Recd. 11 p.m.) Chunking, May 19. 3 The west bank of the broad moun- - tain-walled Salween River is barring ' the eastward advance of the Japanese • up the Burma Road, which has been cleared of the vnemy and his columns wiped out or driven back to Lungling. ’ Some 250 miles southward, however, 1 extremely heavy fighting is in progress r as the reinforced Japanese attacked ’ from three directions in an apparent J effort to drive up from Thailand be- ' tween the Salween and the Mekong to flank the Salween defenders r A Japanese reverse along the Sal- ; ween was announced after tierce artiL ' lery fire had been exchanged for days ’ across the formidable barrier which • the Japanese did not dare to cross. Instead. Chinese reinforcements were bung across the Salween from the east, and in a bitter struggle the main Japanese forces were thrust back all the way to Lungling, 20 miles distant, and the remnants which clung to posi- » tions at Mailaopu and Hungmushu t were wiped out. As a result Paoshan j is no longer menaced by the northeast drive from Lungling. : SITUATION “QUITE GOOD” 1 ■ (Recd. 11.5 p.m.) New .York, May 18. A Washington message states that 5 Dr. T. V. Soong reported to Mr. 1 Roosevelt that the Chinese troops in - Burma destroyed all the Japanese ' forces that crossed the Salween in ’he ‘ Yunnan province. Dr. Soong de- ’ scribed the military situation, there " as “Quite good.”