Evening star., 1942-05-05
laps Cross Frontier
OF China in Push
Up Burma Road
Chinese Fight FierceIy
Against Enemy Force
Described as 'SmoII'
9y the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
CHUNGKING, May 5.-apa.
nese troops invaded China :
Yunnan Province today after
driving up the Burma road and
crossing the shallow Wanting
River, 670 miles from this CAPT.
tai, a military spokesman said.
Bitter fighting is in progress In
the area around the border town
of Wanting, still in Chinese hands
the spokesman reported.
He declared that destruction OF
the Chinese section of the Burma
road, which winds through sheer
mountains and gaping gorges, had
not yet been necessary but that the
Chinese would carry out their
scorched earth policy if necessary.
(The Japanese claimed their
air force already had carried the
war far into Yunnan Province
with a heavy raid on Yung-
chang, about 100 miles inside the
province where the Burma road
crosses the upper reaches of the
Mekong River. A dispatch to the
Toxic newspaper Asahi, indicat-
ing that an air base had been
established there, said the raiders
destroyed nine planes, seven Of
which were grounded. The dis
patch added that the town had
been left in flames.)
90-Mile Push From Lashio.
Thus, in little less than two
months, the Japanese invaders of
Burma had driven 500 miles from
Rangoon to China's back door.
The great Burma port. which the
Japanese have since utilized as their
main supply base. fell March 8.
The advance to Wanting repre-
sented 90-mile drive along the
Burma supply road from Lashio, the
railhead which was wrested from
the outnumbered and outgunned
Chinese army commanded by
United States 1t. Gen. Joseph w.
Stilwell.
The army spokesman described
UllC dpdllCSC 4O1SC do Sllldll. llC
vanguard, however, appeared to
pose a distant threat to the Chinese
capital of Chunking, some $40 miles
away across high mountains and
deep gorges.
The japanese appeared intent on
severing communications between
the Chinese of the left flank and
the British of the right-at the wild
mountain approaches to India, the
spokesman said.
The enemy was expected to con-
centrate his main effort toward cap
turing the strategic North Burma
town Of Bhamo, some ITO miles
north of devastated Mandalay, to
seal of an alternate terminus of the
Burma road, the spokesman added.
A column already is moving north
from Mandalay along the Irrawaddy
River.
Chinese troops far to the south of
the main battlezones at Atunggyi
have started guerrilla warfare, he
said. tacitly acknowledging the col
lapse OF sustained drive against
the Japanese reaE.s ssS4 rs asa
The spokesman said there would
be no Chinese withdrawal from
Burma until the war is won.
we must continue to- reinforce
our Alliess IN Burma, irrespective of
the difficulties" he declared.
Enforcement Of the new national
mobilization law will start with a
great campaign this week to teach
the Chinese people they must make
greater sacrifices to Insure final vic
tory.
Measures to intensity CONSUMPTION,
bolster production and increase the
governments purchase Of food at
fixed prices, as well as a campaign
to sell war bonds, will be launched.
Generalissimo Chang Kai-shek
exhorted the people to face still fur
ther adversely.
The mobilization law which gives
Chiang's government absolute con-
troll of all her vast manpower, war
materials and wealth, including
prices and capital.
1t came into force, as the gen.
eralissimo noted, on this anniversary
of the assumption by Sun Yat-sen
of the presidency of the emergency
republican government in 1912.
I'VE must prepare for prolonga-
ton of the war and greater difficult
ties in the future" Chang declared.
Greater Self Denial Asked.
The least we can expect of our
selves is that we should not prove
unworthy of our Allies. We ought
to exert ourselves with greater SELF
denial and diligence than in the
past and develop potential strength
later in an efficient manner.
ITO this end all must help carry
this act into practice sup
plies for the front must be assured
and the livelihood of the people ir
the rear stabilized if we are to keer
up our war effort until final victory
is attained.
Il appeal to my fellow countrymer
today to form a mighty resolve to
mobilize their strength for the pur.
pose of establishing the foundations
of a modern state, gaining for al
Chinese citizens the status of citi.
zens of such a state and carrying
to successful issue the mission tha
is ours"
(onnroee ia Rriof