The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-27

American volunteers ranged over
Thailand in counter-raids. GA COM
munique issued by the American
Volunteer Corps headquarters in
southwest China said the AVG's
knocked down "a japanese planes in
combats over Thailand Wednesday
and Thursday. All the Americans re-
turned.
The American and British flyers
even had gained air supremacy lin
a measure over the battle lines on
the ground.
Strong Imperial reinforcements
were reported massing south OF
Mandalay.
japanese fighter planes were said
reliably to be based within 30 min
utes flying time of Rangoon and
Allied airmen were lucky to have
Is minutes warning of the approach
of raiders.
The Burma Road--by an alterna-
tive was still open TO traffic Sup
plies were moving up the Irrawaddy
river from Rangoon, taking a route
railroad and the Bay of Bengal.
The Irrawaddy, roughly parallel
ing the Sittang river at rs miles
distance, flows norh-south past
Mandalay.
Previous reports from Rangoon
said most of the war materials in
tended for shipment to China over
the Burma Road had been moved
out and that any left would be de-
stroyed.
CHINESE ON WAY
London, Feb. 27.-(UP)-A mill
tary commentator said today that
Chinese troops were en- route to
Burmas Sittang river battle zone,
the "last ditch" defense positions
for lower Burma.
The Chinese are proceeding from
China southwark over the highway
to Lashio and the Lashio-to- Ran
COON railroad portion of the Burma
road but have not yet arrived in the
battle area, he said.
The Japanese were reported fan
ming out northward along the Sit
tang in an apparent effort 'to out
flank us the (British left as they
did in forcing a bridgehead over the
river"
No official messages were received
during the morning but a pause in
the fighting apparently continues"
the commentator reported He said
no particular significance should be
attached to the lack of report.
POUNDING TOWARD RANGOON
London, Feb. 27.-(UP)-Japanese
invasion forces pounded through
heavy Allied bombing attacks to-
ward the fire-ravaged city of Ran
COON today and struck by air at the
Andaman Island outpost guarding
the approach to India
Axis broadcasts claimed that ad-
vance Japanese forces had entered
the suburbs of Rangoon, once the
busy port for American war ship
ments over the Burma road to
China. But British broadcasts of
official communicates said that
American and Raj planes were
still hammering at the enemy and
that the land fronts were compare
lively quiet.
The American volunteer group
and Raj pilots over Burma were
credited with destroying about 100
enemy planes in the last three days,
but Japanese fighters and bombers
were now established at bases only
a short flying distance from Ran
COON.
A broadcast by the all-Indo radio
said that the Andaman Islands, ly-
ing on the flank of the sea route
to India, were bombed twice by Jap
anese planes, which also attacked
with machine guns.
The main operations were against
Port Blair, where two deaths We're
reported. -Four other persons were
wounded at the airport. The Jap
anese appeared to be carrying out
invasion attacks on the islands,
far out in the bay of Bengal, In
preparations for a later advance