Evening star., 1942-03-22
China Has Numerous
Potential Bases for
Air Raids on Japan
Use Now Is Not Feasible
Because of inadequate
Defense, Experts Soy

By the Associated Press.
CHUNGKING, March Alt may
be the task of that aggressive sharp
spoken and short tempered infantry
specialist, 1t. Gen. Joseph w. Still
well, who has been made commander
Of United States forces in China,
India and Burma, to clear the bases
from which to bomb Japan.
From Tientsin to Ningpo, an area
of China which today is occupied"
by the Japanese, there are many
potential bombing bases which could
be used to pave the way for the
invasion of Japan, which Gen. Still
we'll has announced as the Allied
objective.
In the opinion of high military
authorities, however, use Of these
bases is not now feasible because
they are only lightly defended by
Chinese guerrillas and would be
subject to immediate Japanese Of
fensives and air attacks.
To make them available, a con-
certed Allied offensive is necessary,
with abundant aircraft in China
to assist in wiping out thinly strung
Japanes loops thrown along the
main railway and communication
lines in North China. Regular
Chinese troops then could sweep
back into the large enclosed areas
which the japanese never have
really occupied. Supply of these
bases would be difficult but perhaps
hot inSurmOuntable.
100000 Troops Tied Up.
The Chinese claim they are keep
ing 800 900 Japanese troops tied up
in China by their numerous attacks
on widely-separated fronts but they
have attempted no general offensiv-.
Chinas principal efforts since De-
cember were the stinging defeat
administered to the japanese when
they attempted to drive forward TOR
the third time from Yochow to
Changsha, harassment Of the Jap
anese during the attack on Hong
Kong dispatch Of the 5th and 9Th
Armies to Burma, and the political
efforts of Generalissimo Chang Kali
shek to align India in the United
Nations front.
Minor attacks have been made in
the Ichang, Nanchang, Pengpu,
Kaifeng and Paotow areas.
The Tientsin to Ningpo area OF
China perhaps would offer the
readiest bases for air attacks on
Japan.
Tientsin, in the north, is approx
mately 1900 miles from Toxic and
800 miles from the nearest part OF
Japan.
Ningo, south of Shanghai, is about
100 miles from Toxic and less than
600 miles from the nearest obJectlves
In Japan.
Other Potential Bases.
South of Ningpo, along the
Chekiang and Fukien provincial
coasts. there are many other po-
tential bases in unoccupied China.
japan has blockaded this coast.
but aside from intermittent ralds
and temporary occupations, mas
never taken military possession OF
many of small. unfrequented ports.
At Annoy, for instance, which
was completely occupied by the
Japanese only after December 7,
DISPATCHES reported today that an
entire Chinese division was JUST
outside and was being shelled py
Japanese artillery in an apparent
effort to discourage the frequent
raids which the Chinese have been
making on the city.
Annoy, one of the more important
ports in Fukien Province, IS just
opposite Formosa and Is only about
l25 miles from that vital japanese
base from which the japanese
launched their invasion Of the Phil
ippines and a large part OF their
movement into the South Seas.
Could Be Used for Attacks.
Although bases in these two prov
inces probably are too distant Tor
effective bombing of Japan, they
could be used for attacks on For
mosa as we'll as on Hainan Island,
the operations center from which
the japanese began their assault
on Malaga, and on the Japanese
held area about Hong Kong and
Canton in South China.
japanese lines in China today
form q great irregular pattern OF
loops and salients running, in gen.
eral, from Suiyuan Province In
Inner Mongolia to Siangshan on
the coast just south of Ningpo and
about 125 miles south of Shanghai.
The japanese maintain this front
not by means of solid line OF
trenches. but by strings of gar
risons and fortified outposts. jap
anese occupation is not we'll repre-
sented on a map by a definite line
of demarkation. 1t just fades out
into unoccupied China.