Evening star., 1942-10-22
Strategic Burmu

The current conferences in New
Delhi between the top generals of the
Allied forces in the Indian and Chi
neSe sectors of the United Nations
front have given rise to much specu-
lation. General Sir Archibald Wa
| veil, commander in chief of the
British forces in India; General
Auchinleck, the former British COM
mander; General Joseph Stilwell,
who heads the American forces in
that region, and General Lo Choy-
king, commander of the Chinese ex-
peditionary forces there, are having
lengthy series of consultations
This must have some important sig
nificance, and the inference of many
qualified observers is that it por-
tends an Allied offensive to retake
Burma in the near future.
The loss of Burma to the japanese
last spring was one of the heaviest
blows dealt the Allied cause In Asia.
Thereby, the famed. Burma Road,
China's one remaining practical out
let with its allies, was closed, and
Chungking has since been reduced
to air-borne supplies. Furthermore,
a Japanese held Burma Simulta-
neously menaces India and south
western China with invasion. 1t is
generally accepted in military circles
that Burma must be recovered as
prerequisite both to the effective
arming of China and to prying loose
the Japanese grip on Southwestern
Asia, from French Indo-China to
Singapore.
Although the precise Allied strength
in India is a closely-guarded mill
tary secret, certain facts are public
knowledge. Some time ago, the Brit
ish government announced that the
number of white troops in India had
reached an all-time high, while con-
siderable American forces and great
quantities of American equipment
are known to have reached there. In
addition, the recent British state
ment that the Royal Navy had sub
stantially replaced losses and that
two super -battleships equipped with
the latest anti-aircraft and anti
submarine devices were in service
make it a logical deduction that
British naval power in the Indian
Ocean is considerable. Certain it is
that, although the Monsoon rains
are over, the japanese are showing
no signs of launching the offensive
against India which seemed likely
some time ago. Lastly, the native
Indian Army has been much enlarged
with trained and equipped personnel
during recent months, and since
most of those soldiers are Moslems,
Sikhs and Gurkhas, the chances are
that the Seditious agitation among
the Hindus has had little effect upon
the general morale of the native
troops.
Such are the factors favoring the
supposition of an Allied offensive
into Burma this autumn or winter.
At the same time, the difficulties of
such an enterprise should not be
overlooked. The belt of mountain
and jungle between India and Burma
virtually precludes a large-scale land
invasion, and a sea-borne attack on
Rangoon, the Burmese port of entry,
would be mighty enterprise, espe-
cially since the Japanese have per-
fected their land communications
via Siam. In recent dispatch from
New Delhi, passed by the British
censor, Herbert L. Matthews, the
capable New York Times correspond
ent, writes that an immediate in
vasion of Burma is regarded there
with the greatest skepticism I.
To observers here it looks like a case
of map strategists thousands of miles
away indulging in wishful thinking"
Nature itself imposes climatic
time limits to full-scale military op-
erations in this region by either side.
In May, the spring rains begin, and
although this rainy season is shorter
than the autumn monsoon, the
handicap is almost as severe during
! their duration. 1t is safe to say,
therefore, that offensives by either
side should be forecast within a
short time, since such movements
must be on a scale that could hardly
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