CLAIM DENIED

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22320, 11 April 1944, Page 3

CLAIM DENIED

POSITION AT KOHIMA ENEMY DRIVEN BACK VITAL BATTLE AHEAD LONDON, April 10. Referring to the Japanese claim to have captured Kohima, in Assam, Reuter’s correspondent in New Delhi *says the Japanese succeeded ic reaching the outskirts of Kohima, but are now being driven back by counter-attack. “ What can be made clear,” says another correspondent, “is the falsity of the Japanese claim to have captured Kohima. They did manage to get a small grip on the place for a while but our counterattack shook it off. “ One of the enemy’s greatest problems north of Kohima is that of supplies. He is in particular need of heavy equipment and he can only get it from Imphal. We still hold both roads south of Imphal, although we have withdrawn from the border. It is near this area that we evacuated a village but we exacted a heavy price from the Japanese first.” This correspondent explains why news from the India-Burmese front is scant and is likely to remain so. “ We cannot throw light on the present apparently confused situation,” he says, “without satisfying the Japanese, who are obviously fishing for more information. They know very well that, in country which cannot be crossed on land faster than 10 or 15 miles a day, the late Major-Gen-eral Wingate’s air-borne expedition leapt 200 miles overnight and stayed undiscovered behind their lines for eight days. They would like to know a great deal more than they do about our movements and dispositions.”

The Allies in the meantime are preparing for the decisive battle which is believed to be imminent.