Evening star., 1942-03-04
WuveII Returns to India

The announcement that General
Sir Archibald Wavell had ceased to
function as commander in chief of
the United Nations in Java and had
resumed his former post as head Of
the British forces in India is logical
result of the cataclysmic changes
which have occurred in the Far East
during the past month. Even be-
fore the Japanese assault on Java,
the fall of Singapore, coupled with
the loss of Sumatra and the jeop-
ardizing of Burma, split the United
Nations front which had previously
stretched unbroken from India to
Australia. SO long as that situation
prevailed. Java, the citadel Of Dutch
power strategically located at the
center of the line, was the obvious
place for the united high command.
Henceforth, the fight must be waged
disjointedly from India and Aus
tralia, with Java becoming an iSo-
lated outpost which soon may be
eliminated.
General Wavell is reported unom-
cially to be in Burma But, even
though this be true, it is unlikely that
he is there for more than a brief
inspection trip on his way back to his
Indian headquarters. British pros
poets in Burma grow darker from
day to day. The Burmese seem to
be rising against their British rulers,
killing them whenever possible and
aiding the japanese invaders. This
is not surprising, for the Burmese
have never reconciled themselves to
the British conquest Of their coun-
try, which was. completed only half
a century ago.
Faced with a combined japanese
invasion and native inSurrection, the
best that can be expected from the
outnumbered British forces in Burma
is to fight delaying actions and post
pone thereby full japanese control.
Once thoroughly established in
Burma, the way will be open for a
large-scale japanese drive on India.
A full-fedged invasion overland from
Burma is impracticable, because no
railways or highroads exist through
the mountainous bOrderland between
the two countries. Yet demoralizing
and destructive air raids on CAL
cutta and other congested Indian
cities will be possible, while japanese
naval command of the Indian Ocean
would open the way to landings all
along India's ill-defended eastern
coast, to say nothing of a possible
invasion of Ceylon, the tempting is
land at India's southern tip, which
contains Britain'S chief naval base,
now that Singapore is gone.
It will require all of Wavell's mill
tary genius and personal knowledge
of Indian conditions to make the
most of what time remains before
the japanese threat becomes a dread
reality. Aside from the religious
feuds which rend India's vast popu-
lation and the political unrest
against British rule that undoubt-
edly exists, the technical military
situation is none too good. A large
proportion of the best Indian troops
are scattered abroad, from North
Africa to Burma, or have been lost
in Malaga and at Singapore. Many
of those f1rst-line troops still in India
must be kept on the northwest from
tier to guard against invasions Of
the wild Afridis and Afghans, who
would surely swarm across the border
if it was depleted. India's 1900
mile-long east coast, together with
Ceylon, must be protected against
japanese descents, and order must be
maintained within a country more
than half the size of the United
States, inhabited by divided popu-
lation exceeding 4O0,OOO,O0O. Such is
a task to which General Wavell has
been assigned