Evening star., 1941-11-21
Rangoon Busiest City
Of Far East Due 10
Burma Road Traffic
Tourist Mecca Now
Immersed in BustIe
OF Wartime Trade
BY ROYAL ARCH GUNNIsON,

BY ROYAL ARCH GUNNISON,
Foreign Correspondent Of The Star and
North American Newspaper Alliance.
RANGOON, Burma, Nov. % (By
airmaiD When you fly into Ran
goon-over a har5or so jam packed
with ships large and small of Amer
lean, Panamanian, British, Nor
Wegian and Dutch registry that the
plane finds difficulty in picking a |
landing spot on the water-it isn't |
hard to understand why it is called |
the busiest city in the entire Far
East" today.
Originally a picturesque Burmese |
city with goldtipped temple spires
thrust skyward, a tourist mecca,
today Rangoop is immersed in
grim wartime trade. Sandbags and
bombproof dugouts are everywhere.
Buildings once white and pink, with
graceful swirling decorations ct he
caves and balconies, are now painted
a dull gray. Their walls are but
tressed against collapse from bomb
conclusion. BlackoutS are reeG-
lar practice. The latest pursuit
fighters of the r. A. F-AmerIcen-
made Brewster Buffaloes-spin and
scream overhead in aerobaticS all
day long. Tanks and armored cars
rumble through the streets at night.
Troops guard everywhere.
Burma Road Link.
The docks and "go-downs" (wars-
houses are stuffed to OverfloWlns
with supply from America-supply
destined for China. supply with
wallop designed to carry the often
sive against the Japanese. For
Rangoon is the port through which
all the Burma road supply must pass.
China and the war against the
Axis" are just up the road d few
hundred miles. Japan is merely a
''whoop and a holler" across the
Indo-China border to the north
east. And Thailand. presumably to
fall into Japanese hands unless a
revitalized British lion suddenly
wakes up. is potted with good air
fields From there japanese planes
could give Rangoon. the rail line
to Lashio from which the Burma
road strikes out across the noun
tains to Kunming) and the famed
Road to Mandalay" lover which
newly assembled trucks bound for
use along the Burma road travel
daily bomb plastering that might
be fatal
The British, suddenly realizing the
proximity of the japanese to Ran
COON and the vulnerability of all
the roads and transport lines run
ming north into China, galvanized
themselves into action to provide
defenses. All the time they have
hoped they would not be too late
Now they are breathing easier. Now
the "go-downs" and the wharves
have defenses. Now the rail line
to Lashio is protected as well as
can be expected Now there are
airfelds from which the R. A. F.
can operate to protect bomber
squadrons heading toward japanese
lines; and there are bomber and
fighter squadrons in Burma today
with personnel who have fought in
England and who have carried the
battle across to Germany-men who
know the air fighting game better
than any one in the Far East.
Japan Misses Opportunity.
The British. with the job of help
ing supply Russia With war ma
terial to hold off the Nazis in Eu-
rope, have gradually awakened to
the fact that Uncle Sam is doing
the same thing for China to hold
the Japanese in check in the Far
East. And the British, for the last
four months, have been giving all
out assistance to China and America
in this endeavor. But it has been
only in the last two months that
their own Burma defenses have
taken any shape. At any time had
the japanese swept across Thailand
they might have had Burma as we'll
ss Thailand before the United
States Fleet, the Dutch or the Brit
tsh could have done more than shout
"Don't do that" But again the
Japanese have missed an oppor-
tunity. Although it is impossible
to tell just how loyal" the Burmese
are to Britain, it is possible to dis
tinguish their dislike for Japan and
their fear of japanese conquest of
Burma