The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-10-22
LONDON SEES NO
BIG CLASHES IN
BURMA DRIVE.
By LEO 8. DIsHER
United Press Staff Correspondent

United Press Staff Correspondent
London, oct. 22-(UP)-N6ilitary
observers cycling maps Of the almost
roadless hills, the jungles and stor-
my rivers which Is Burma-and the
vast water about it--look to any
Allied offensive eastward from IN
dia as likely to be "miror-scale
scrapping on q major scale in i'm
portance."
Lord Louis Mountbatten and his
troops, It Is believed, may conceiv-
ably start driving against the Jap
anese at any time now that the
rainy season has ended, but no one
In military circles emissions q mas
sive, Slashing, about campaign
with q mass-scale clashlng Of ar
mics.
Rather they say, It will largely be
q Job for Mountbatten's comman-
dos, his jungle fighters, his para
troopers, his "amphibianS" and
planes, and, possibly, for some of
his tanks In the later stages.
BY that, It's meant that geo.
graphical conditions will prevent
large army movements In Burma
easily picked as the No. / major OBJ
objective-and comparatively few
troops will fight for the major priz-
eS, as In the Solomons.
The Allies steadily have been con-
centrating troops in India, New
roads toward the Burma frontier
have been constructed In northern
India.
Burmas rainy season Is usually
over by the end Of September. Until
late October, however, the weather
will be exceedingly uncomfortable,
temperature and humidity high.
Thereafter begins the "cool" season,
with some seven months OF dry
weather to follow.
Mountbatten, It Is believed, will
have at least three main directions
In which to strike:
1. In an overland invasion, Allied
troops could cross the Burma from
tiers from India.
2. In a sea-borne invasion, troops
could be landed on the 1rrawaddy
delta to seize the Japanese main
base, Rangoon, starting point Of the
Burma road"
8. Allied paratroopers and sea-
borne troops could seize the Japan
ese-held Andaman and Nicobar is
lands, gaining almost full control
Of the Bay OF Bengal and stemming
the flow Of Japanese supplies to
Burma by sea.
An overland invasion will strike
high, roadless, rugged hills at the
outset. Between the hills and be-
You'd them are jungles and wild
rivers. Supply lines and troops
would have to move several hun
dreds Of miles over such terrain to
gain the north-south Burma road"
to China.
1T would be difficult, but not at
all impossible" observers hold.
The flat Irrawaddy, farther east,
the age-old highway for invaders, Is
criss-crossed by streams. To strike
there would be hitting at the jap
anese near their stronghold.
"Again-it would be difficult, and
massive details Of planning would
have to precede the move"
The Nicobar and Andaman ISL
ands, ct the Thailand end Of the
Bay Of Bengal, were seized by the
Japanese almost coincident with
their occupation Of Burma. Since
then they have been relatively in
active In the bay itself, but are be-
lieved to have constructed subma-
rine bases and air bases In the ISL
andS.
In Burma, the Japanese are re-
ported to have less than 10 divisions
and to have done little toward
erecting massive Notifications.
In their hands now Is an under
populated country Of rice, cotton.
bananas and palms, gold, iron, oil
and bamboo huts, with q short, gay
black haired people who look much
like the Mongolians and speak a
monosyllabic language akin to CHI
neSe.
For the Allies, II Is q vital "lost"
supply lane to China.