Evening star., 1942-05-10
Chinese Retake
.Maymyo and Hit
At Manda|ay
March 80 Miles in
Breaking Trop, Turn
Tobles on japanese
By the Associated Press.
rryyrHy~D ~

BY the Associated Press.
CHUNGKING, China, May g.
A strong Chinese Army force
which the advancing Japanese
by-paSSed in Central Burma has
smashed hard into the exposed
rear of the Japanese, recapturing
the former Allied headquarters
OF Maymyo and driving against
both LaShio and Mandalay, the
Chinese announced tonight.
This sudden maneuver, involving
a forced march Of more than 80
miles north from Taunggyi. already
has cut off the main communication
route and line of retreat of the
japanese units that pressed so
quickly along the Burma road into
Yunnan Province, China, a COM
munique said.
The japanese in Yunnan had split
into two columns to try to outf1ank
the Chinese, but one of these coll
umns already has been wiped out
and the other is vainly trying to
break out of an encirclement, ac-
cording to the Chinese communique.
Japs Being "Sandwiched."
Giving broad picture of a star
ting reversal for the hitherto uni
formly successful Japanese cam
paign In Burma and Southwest
China, the Chinese communique
and a military spokesman said that
when the Japanese rushed north
ward through Burma they sent one
force eastward along the Burma
road and another west to complete
occupation of the Lashio-M Mandalay
railroad and cut of Chinese troops
still in the Mandalay area.
But suddenly the supposedly
trapped Chinese became very active,
the communique said, and the Jap
anese forces which had rushed
ahead to cut Chinese communica-
tions now are faced with the danger
of being "sandwiched" between the
Chinese.
1T is expected that this Japa-
nese column will be liquidated in a
few days." said the communique,
apparently referring to the Japa-
nese who had moved along the
ochin-MordoIou
Mandalay Attacked.
Maymyo was recaptured Wednes-
day, said the Chinese, and now the
Chinese are thrusting out In both
directions, fiercely attacking Man.
dalay, rs miles southwest Of May
myo. and pushing towards Lashio,
Ito miles northeast.
This development came Just as
the Japanese in Yunnan, in the
vicinity northeast of Chefang. were
suffering what the Chinese an
nounced yesterday was a crushing
defeat"
That invader force, with a supply
artery severed, now is in dire straits,
the Chinese asserted.
Japs Sweep Over Yunnan.
Chinese dispatches also said jap
anese planes from Burma and
French Indo-China swept over Yum
nan today, but were engaged by
defense planes from Running, with
one Japanese shot down. Other
Japanese air attacks were reported
in Kiangsi and Fukien Provinces.
but less intensive Than in the past
few days.
CThe japanese said they were
driving northward from Lung
ling, so miles inside Yunnan, had
destroyed more than SIS Chinese
trucks trying to escape from
Bhamo and Lashio in Upper Bur-
ma and destroyed five planes in
combat over Paoshan, IS miles
northeast of Lungling.
CThey said nothing OF the
Maymyo situation, but limited at
trouble for the companion Japa-
nese column which had thrust
northwest through Mandalay,
saying they crushed Allied at
tempts to recapture Monywa, so
miles west of Mandalay)
On China's other fronts, the Chi
nese command said fighting was
continuing in Central Hupeh Prov
ince southwest of Hankow, with the
Japanese being beaten back in re-
peated unsupported attempts to
break the Chinese lines.
The Chinese news agency added
that in Northern Honan Province
the Japanese launched gas attacks
April % to avenge a defeat of the
previous day. but that the Chinese,
forewarned, suffered few casualties
and killed or wounded 300 Japanese.