Evening star., 1942-12-20
Burma
Continued From First Page.)

well came out of Burma at the head
OF a few score men and American
officers from his Chinese Army with
the acknowledgment that he had
taken a hell of a beating" the
recapture of Burma and the restor-
alton of the supply link with China
has been high on the list of objec-
tiVes of United Nations strategists.
The thrust down the difficult
jungle shore of Northern Burma
through land inhabited by red
skinned Naga headhunters was ac-
companied, the communique said,
by aerial sweeps in which the village
Of Rathedaung, slightly more than
half way between Maungdaw and
Akyab, was bombed and the Mayu
River swept clear Of japanese boats
and other craft.
Akyab itself was bombed at night
by big Wellington bombers. Fires
were left along the Rathedaung
waterfront, it was said.
Intensive Bombings.
Before the beginning of the often
slve British and American planes
carried out series of intensive day
and night bombings of numerous
obJectives in the Arakan area, and
Tor many weeks have been hitting
at railways, stations. bridges and
airfields along the Mandalay line
of communications and docks, air.
ports and barracks in the Akyab
zone.
In turn the japanese claimed to
nave sunk seven transports and set
firasto four or fave others in raids on
'ChMagong, indian port 60 miles
north of the Burma border, on Dec
ember and 10.
II !. sltIs British said only relatively
minor damage was done in these
Japanese attacks.
The japanese also attacked
Fenny, near Chittagong, last We'd
nesday and lost three of their
planes. -Four British were lost in
the combat.
The rush toward Akyab was re-
garded by observers as a logical
step following the inconspicuous but
lncessant campaign which American
air forces commanded by Brig. Gen.
Clayton L. Bissell and the RAF have
been Wagfng against japanese SUD-
ply Eases, airfelds, barracks and
railways in Burma since the end
OF the monsoon season about six
weeks ago.
Allied Airmen Hold Edge.
AS soon as the torrential rains.
which had kept the Burma front
inactive for six months. had ended
the RAF began campaign of night
oomolng and the Allies enjoyed an
increasing edge over Japans Burma
air force.
The new offensive. supplementing
United Nations drives in French
North Africa, Libya, the Solomons
and New Guinea, obviously gives
the Japanese something to think
about besides reinforcement of their
oeleaguered forces under attack bv
Americans at Guadalcanal and bv
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's Austral-
ians and Americans in the Buna
area.
1t also may have an important
effect on Japans plans for an Of
tenslve against Yunnan Province of
China.
To meet the threat. Japan is re-
ported from Chunking to have about
IL divisions of perhaps 100000 to
100000 men in Burma. Indo- China
ana Thailand where they had been
grouped, it was believed, for a new
offensive against China. About six
divisions were believed to be in
Burma.
The bulk of the forces in Burma
however, we're believed concentrated
from Rangoon to Lungling along the
Mandalay railway and the Burma
road, and the rest scattered in the
river garrisons of Western and
Northern Burma.
(Only about 1000 japanese are
believed to be at Akyab, accord
ing to private advices to the