Evening star., 1942-08-30
Chinese Comeback

which started in East-Central China
early in August has reached notable
proportions. A large part OF the
costly gains made by the japanese
during their early summer offensive
in Chekiang and Kiangsi Provinces
has been lost, and the end Is not
yet So remarkable is this reversal
OF fortune that it merits close analy-
sis to discover it's larger significance.
The japanese began their cam
paign last May with two apparent OBJ
jectives. The more immediate was
possession of several large airfields
within bombing radius of Japan
itself. The Japanese high command
suspected that it was from one of
these bases that General Doolittle
conducted his sensational raid over
Toxic and other Japanese industrial
centers in mid-April. With more
American air strength promised
China, Japanese strategy obviously
was concerned to abolish those po-
tential threats to It's highly central
lied and vulnerable industrial life.
A more ambitious objective was
control Of the east-west railway
which runs through Central China
from the sea coast to point below
the vital city of Changsha in Human
Province, where it meets the railway
trunk line running north and south
from Hankow on the Yangtze River
to the southern port-metropolis OF
Canton. The japanese already had
the seaward end of this line; likewise
It's middle point at Nanchang. strik-
Ing from both points, the japanese
battled their way until, a month ago,
they had Joined hands, while flank
ing columns occupied all the impor-
tant airfields In the same region.
Thus, both strategic detectives were
attained, though at a heavy price
against dogged Chinese resistance.
Then came the turn OF the tide. It
was a reversal, however, which, with
all due respect to the valor Of Chinese
troops and the skill Of reinforced
American airmen, seems to have been
due in large part to deliberate de-
pletion OF the Japanese forces. For
several weeks there has been a rapid
withdrawal Of Japanese troops and
planes. This is frankly admitted by
the Chinese themselves. Their in
telligence service estimates that the
japanese forces in the contested
areas have fallen from a maximum
OF fully 10000 at the height of the
summer drive to less than 10000,
while the japanese air arm has been
diminished to an even larger extent.
What is the reason for Japan's CAL
culated renunciation OF gains for
which so much blood and effort has
been spent? The answer is not yet
clear. Obviously, those troops and
planes have gone somewhere else, but
just where is concealed beneath the
veil of secrecy with which the Japa-
nese high command usually masks
it's strategic moves. The Siberian
border, India, or the South Pacific
have been suggested, but all this is
still unproven speculation. The one
thing certain is that the cool-headed
and calculating Japanese high COM
mand has some very good reason for
moving upward of 100000 veteran
troops and strong air forces from a
bitterly contested region wherein any
weakening of the occupying forces
was bound to entail serious reverses.
The hidden reason probably will be-
come apparent at an early date in
some otE .er theater of war. Mean
while, the doughty Chinese are gar
nering welcome gains and the morale
of that hard-pressed people has been
lifted accordingly.