Evening star., 1942-01-03
Rangoon Returning
To Normally After
Exodus Is Halted
Long Trek to Calcutta
Stopped by News Of Air
Successes Against Jops
BY LELAND STOWE,


RANGOON, Jan. 3 passed by the
Governor of Burma After its bap-
tism of fire under two heavy jap
anese raids last week, in the first of
which several hundred civilians were
killed, Rangoon is settling down to
war basis and thousands of In
dians who Streamed northward
panic-stricken and clogging the
highways, in the first days, have now
streamed back again. Other tens Of
thousands, who set out in rickShaS,
in rickety horse cabs and on foot to
hike all the way to Calcutta are now
halted. Their long trek to India has
petered out.
Behind this reversal of a great
human tide lies the full significance
of the Furnishing aerial defeat which
the Royal Air Force and the Amer
ican volunteers of the Chinese Air
Force inflicted on more than 100
japanese planes Christmas Day.
Until the American and British
flyers mauled and clawed the Nip
ponese raiders as they had never
been mauled before, Rangoon's in
habitants naturally felt extremely
exposed because this is cellarless
city whose swampy terrain prevents
the construction of Subterranean
shelters.
The majority of the population,
exceeding 100000, was forced to re-
main in the ground floor rooms Of
buildings or ramshackle houses and
take their chances. Even so. most
of those who died in the first raid
heedlessly remained on the streets.
Then the survivors among the poor
er classes began their trek to India
But the remarkable protection given
to Rangoon two days later by the
British and American squadrons has
stemmed the tide and turned it..
People in Rangoon now know that
whenever the Japanese may attack
again they will pay a heavy penalty
and after eight raidless days the
japanese apparently know that, too.
Passes Strange Week.
Meanwhile, Rangoon has passed
strange week and half with the
confusion from the blow of its first
air raids gradually subsiding. with
the once deserted streets taking on
new life and with the shops un-
locking their doors again. The
seeming danger of a food shortage
has not materialiZed In fact. the
police say that they have not found
a single case of genuine shortage of
food despiteu the bombings and evac-
uations. and if necessary the shops
will be forcibly opened.
The chief exodus of Rangoon's
Indian population, combined with
some Burmans, occurred immedi-
ately after the first raid and before
news of Japanese losses in the two
raids here became known. Probably
tens of thousands. whose relatives
live in India, actually started to
walk hundreds of miles up the coast
and down the Indian shores to Cal
cutta carrying a few belonging in
bundles on their heads. and others
pulling heaped up rickshas.
When the main vanguard of the
throng reached Prone Tin Prone
district of Burma and $50 miles
northwest of Rangoon), however, the
authorities intervened. The evac-
uees were informed that their fight
was absurd since life was calm in
Rangoon, the Japanese attackers
had been thrown back and, more
over. they would find no food and
little water north of Prone. Burma's
governor, Sir Reginald Dorman-
Smith, dispatched several commits
sioners to Prone. They addressed
huge refugee camps through loud
speakers, distributed pamphlets and
reassured those who had fallen vic
Tins to Japanese efforts to spread
panic.
Real Story Of Raid.
Two other correspondents and I
learned the real story of the Christ
mas Day raid on Rangoon from the
flyers at their barracks.
Both the Royal Air Force and the
American airmen gained full laurels
in that Christmas reception party
to the Japanese, but Of them all the
Yankee Tomahawk Squadron set q
truly unusual record. Its young
sters, in their second aerial engage
ment, downed Is Nipponese bombers
and three fighters with the loss Of
only two planes and no pilots.
The squadron is composed Of fly
ers from all three American serv-
ices-Army, Navy and Marine Corps
probably the first time In United
States history that the members of
all three Of these services have
fought as a single unit under q
single command. As a result OF the
merciless scalping which these boys,