Evening star., 1941-12-31
Burma Front

athwart the Far East seem to be
blazing up on new front which soon
may become a major theater of ac-
tion. This is the belt of border
territory between British Burma and
Japanese dominated Thailand, to-
gether with the adjacent border
region between French Indo-China.
likewise Japanese-domineted, and
China's southwestern province of
Yunnan.
The northern half of the 80O-mile
Thai Burmese border is clearly
traced by nature along the crests of
heavily wooded tropical mountains
rising from still denser jungle. Mill
tary operations in this sector would
be extremely difficult for large troop
masses and would be even more i'm
practicable for mechanical equip
ment. The country is undeveloped
and inhabited by wild tribes. Back
of the border mountains lies the
broad Salween River, rushing swiftly
through narrow valleys and pre-
cipitous gorges.
The one practicable land approach
from Thailand to Burma is where
the frontier biSectS the narrow Malay
Peninsula. A tongue of Burmese
territory, known as British Tenas-
serim, reaches down the peninsula
for nearly 300 miles. When the Jap
anese occupied the Thai part of the
peninsula in force on their way to
attack Singapore far down at its ex-
treme end, they rendered Britains
hold on Tenasserim precarious. In
fact, the japanese captured the
southernmost British outpost and
air base, Victoria Point. The rest of
TenasSerim still seems to be in Brit
ish hands. though the possibility of
japanese flanking attacks from their
railway line down the Thai side Of
the peninsula makes it unlikely that
the British are holding in force. The
main stand against Japanese in
vasion OF Burma proper logically
would be made along the lower
course of the Salween River That
would be uncomfortably close to
Rangoon, the great port city Of
Burma, which lies only 100 miles
farther on, Already Rangoon twice
has been heavily bombed by japanese
planes, though the raiders met with
a warm reception from the R. A. F.
aided by the American volunteer
group of airmen who have enlisted
in Chinese service
Rangoon is the sea gate for the ia
nous Burma road, over which Amer
lean and British supplies for Free
China are moving at an accelerating
rate. Burma is both the link be-
tween China and the outer world,
and likewise the eastern bastion of
Britains vast Indian Empire. The
Importance of keeping it out of Japa-
nese hands is thus second only to
the necessity of saving Singapore,
and Britain is pouring in men and
materials from India as fast as is
humanity possible
Furthermore, now that Britain and
America are openly at war with ia
pan, concerted action with China
can be taken unreservedly and with
out subterfuge. General Sir Archi-
bald Wavell, Britain's gifted general
issimo for the whole Middle East, re-
Gently has been in Chungking, capital
of Free China, where he conferred at
length with Chang Kai-shek and
with General Magruder, head of the
American advisory commission there.
At this conference plans repeatedly
were drawn not merely for con-
certed defense against Japanese
attacks but also for possible COM
bined offensive all the way from
Yunnan to Lower Burma against the
Japanese flank running from Indo-
China to Southern Thailand China
long has concentrated large forces
| of first-line troops in Yunnan to
guard against japanese moves
against the Burma road. Those
troops are ready to move whenever
British reinforcements into Burma
render joint action possible At the
very least, this will compel the Japa-
nese to divert many troops which
otherwise could be thrown into the
campaign against Singapore. De-
spite Japan'S extraordinary striking
power as revealed by simultaneous
offensiveS launched on fronts from
Central China to the South Seas, it
is hard to imagine the opening of
another major front against Burma
at this time.
Eccentric IndividuuIist