Evening star., 1942-04-17
Ambassador Leahy Called Home
From Vichy for Consultation
British Destroy Burma Oil Wells
5000 Demolished
As Jops Hammer
At Center Front
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press,
NEW DELHI, April IT. - The
British sacrificed the rich West
Burma oil field at Yenangyaung
today to keep it out of the hands
of the Japanese, who unleashed
the fiercest onslaught of the
Burma campaign in a new effort
to crack the center of the Allied
line and split the Chinese 5th
and 9th Armies from the British
London sources said 5000 oil
wells in the West Burma fields
were destroyed by British en-
gineers.
british defense forces ad-
mittedly we're depleted after two
months of intensive jungle fight
ing against the japanese who
were said to have poured in
fresh reidorcements until their
strength mounted to five divi-
sions of some $4,000 men.
(The battle line now extends
from somewhere north of Magwe,
half way from Rangoon to Chit
tagong and the Bengal road to
India, southeast through Taung-
dwingui to Chinese positions in
the hills north of Thagaya. The
positions there, where the Chi
nese have been facing their
heaviest attacks, guard the way
to Pyinmana up the rail line to
Mandalay. From the Thagaya
area the battle line angles north
east to the sleeper mountains
between Loikaw and the Thai
land frontier.)
Infantry Falls Back.
Fighting still stubborn holding
action while the destruction by
torch and dynamite was completed
at Yenangyaung. the badly out
numbered Kings Own Yorkshire
Light Infantry fell back to the north
OF Magwe, gateway to the oil fields,
a communique announced.
The war bulletin added that other
British forces still were holding
their positions in the Taungdwingyi
area of the Pegu Yoma foothills,
midway between the British IRA
waddy front and the Chinese Sit
tang River front to the east.
Despite the determined effort to
hold the Allied front intact, the
japanese advance up the Irrawaddy
already was exposing dangerously
the west flank of the southernmost
Chinese positions near Thagaya, sc
miles north of Toungoo.
Drive Into Shan States.
The Chinese front also was men,
aced from the east where a JAP
anese offensive was reported aimed
into the Shan states from the bulge
Of Thailand.
observers in London openly
regarded this offensive as a Seri-
GUS threat to Allied communica-
tions to the north, particularly
the Mandalay-Lashio rail link
that was incorporated into the
Northern Burma supply route to
China from India when the old
Burma road was cut off north of
RangoonO
The destruction of the West
Burma oilflelds, a source of supply
for China, was announced in q
communique which said:
Owing to severe enemy pressure
on our right flank our forces there
have withdrawn north of Magwe
Oil fields at Yenangyaung have
been destroyed"
Tribute to Rear Guard.
For the second successive day
tribute was paid to the rear guard
action of the hard fighting "Koy'
lies" who covered the Withdrawal
by putting up fierce fight at My
ingun, just south of Magwe.
After inflicting severe casual
ties" the communique said, 1.-The
Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infan.
try successfully withdrew by night
from Myingun and rejoined ouI
forces.
This regiment distinguished it.
self in this gallant action with great
determination and bravery and suf-
fered very little loss"
The British communique observed
that mo reports have been received
from the Chinese expeditionary
force headquarters" on action along
the West Burma front.
Allied planes were said to have
carried out extensive and successful
reconnaissance flights over the bat.
tie zone and deep into Japanese
held territory.