The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-27
|U. s. BOMDERS IN
 GREATEST SMASH
(Continued from Page D

Japanese military buildings all over the Lashio alrdrome burst into flames. Barrack grounds and fields were left, strewn with Japanese dead and wounded.
 The bombers took care of Lashio city while the fighters attacked the aircrome, sweeping In at SO feet altitude with their machine guns blazing.
 Soon after we took off from this secret base in China, we ran into a heavy rainstorm.
 Our plane shook under the rain and 1t was almost impossible to see the old Burma road, twisting be- heath like a yellow snake.
 The Japanese were waiting for these rains to end to start their fall offensive.
 Planes Flew Low
 We flew low because of the rain, and again and again I feared we were going to fly right into one of the Green Mountain tops which we seemed almost to skin. Just as we reached Lashio the sun Eroke through the clouds.
 From the bombers we could not see single Japanese plane and we waited vainly for burst of anti aircraft fire.
 We flew over the airdrome but dropped no bombs because we could see no enemy planes.
 Col. Haynes led the bomber force toward Lashio City.
 I watched the bombs drop from his plane like shiny cigars and sec- onds later saw them explode right in the middle of big group of buildings, probably troop barracks.
 The buildings were hurled into the sky.
 r Our bombardier, Lieut.. Robert Davis, Savannah, Fa., released his bombs They hit another large building.
 Lieut.. Everett Holstrom, Tacoma, Wash, jerked the plane into 8 sickening turn which threw me against the side as our plane shot almost directly upward.
 AS soon as he straighted the plane Holstrom made another pass at Lashio.
 This time we dropped our bombs along one-mile line at selected targets, and started at least three big frs.
 This time we dropped our bombs along one-mile line at selected targets, and started at least three big fires.
 Chungking, Aug. 27.-(UP)-The Chinese Central News Agency re- ported today that the Japanese have begun to withdraw from Chuhsien in the interior of Che- kiang province which the Chinese hope to use as base which to bomb Japan.
 The bulk of the Japanese garri- son at Lishui, another "bomb Tokyo" base about 50 miles up the Wu river from the Port of Wen chow, also has withdrawn, the agency reported.
 Only skeleton Japanese forces were said to be left to meet Chinese onslaughts on. both cities.
 The Japanese footed and set Chuhsien afire before withdrawing.
 There was no information on the situation at Kinhwa, about 60 miles northwest of Chuhsien, the third principal city which the Chinese hope to recapture as base for raids on Japan.
 The news agency report conflicted somewhat with an earlier statement by military spokesman who said the Japanese had concentrated large forces in the triangle formed by Chuhsien, Lishui and Kinhwa, ap- parently in preparation for a strong stand.
 Regarding Japanese strength in occupied areas outside of China, the spokesman said they had five divi- sions in Burma and two each in Malaya, Thailand and Indo- China. He said one division landed recent ly at Haiphong in Indo-China was transferred to Rangoon in Burma.
 No increase in Jap forces in Northern Burma were reported, al- though some units reportedly were moving from Myitkyina in that region toward the frontier of Yum nan province.
 The Japanese last week shipped 200 1000 bags of rice to Japan from Saigon in Indo- China, the spokes- man said.
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