Evening star., 1943-09-17
CHAPTER }

we'll was selected to represent the
| United States in the manifold &C
tivities relating to our military in
terests as to pilots, planes, air trans
port service, material for Chinese
ground forces and their technical
and tactical instruction.
BY January, 1912, Japan's drive
into Malaysia had spread into
Southern Burma With the fall OF
Singapore in February the japanese
were able to launch a successful
offensive against the British and
the reinforcing Chinese troops in
Burma, a success which was rapidly
followed up by the capture of
Lashio, the western terminus of the
Burma road. In this unsuccessful
Allied operation Gen. Stilwell COM
manded two small Chinese armies
whose willingness to fight was
greatly hampered by an almost COM
plete lack of air, artillery and ade-
quate logistic support.
Supplies Sent Over 1.-The Hump"
Following the cutting of the
Burma road Gen. Stilwell imme-
diately initiated plans for an air.
ferry service route over the Hima-
layas, utilizing Army personnel and
equipment, together with a small
combat air force. The nucleus of
the latter was provided by bom-
bardment and pursuit planes and
service units sent from Australia
to India late in February.
The development of American air
power in India to meet the hostile
challenge across the Bay of Bengal
permitted offensive bombing opera
tions to be initiated on April
against enemy fleet units in the
Andaman Islands: The first flight
of the Air Ferry Command into
China over the Himalayas was COM
pleted six days later. Moving per-
sonnel, equipment, gasoline and
other supplies over the mountains
into China following its transporta-
tion by sea and air halfway around
the globe, imposed an unparalleled
logistical problem. The operations
OF our air forces in India, Burma
and in China held in that region
japanese airplanes which might
have been employed elsewhere; =;
losses were inflicted on the enemy's
air force, depots and communica-
tions, and, most important of all,
Chinese morale was greatly stimu-
lated by this evidence of Americas
intention to support China in every
way possible.
Our Air Power Grows.
There have gradually developed
since the summer of 1912 increas-
ingly destructive bomber attacks
over Burma and out of China with
targets from Hopei to French Indo-
China, including Hainan Island.
The enemy's retaliatory attacks
usually have been repulsed with
astonishingly heavy losses to his
flyers. Day by day the power of
our air offensive in these regions
is growing and forcing a dispersion
of japanese means along their
southern front, extending from
Burma, $500 miles to the Solomon
Islands, to meet our attacks which
are involving them in losses so
destructive as to threaten the
maintenance of their air power and
the efficiency of their sea forces.
cThe fortitude of the Chinese peo-
pie under the leadership of Cen
eralissimo Chang Kai-shek has
been an inspiration to the United
Nations. For six years these brave
people have resisted the assaults of
the enemy despite the lack of arms
and equipment and without protec-
tlon against the enemy's fighters
and bombing planes.)
Creating a China Army,
BY the summer of 1912 a large
amount of equipment had accumu-
lated in India which could not be
transported into China under the
limiting conditions of air traffic. It
was therefore decided to move the
Chinese troops to the equipment
rather than follow the usual pro-
cedure of delivering equipment to
the troops. A considerable Chinese
force had retired into India on with
drawing from Burma, and this was
the nucleus around which Gen. Still
well developed highly modern
training center for infantry, artillery
and the supporting arms and serv-
ices. This project has developed
with most gratifying results, pro-
viding complete tactical units thor
oughly indoctrinated as to technique
and tactics in the use of weapons
with which they are equipped and
furnishing cadres for the training
OF Chinese divisions beyond the
mountains in China proper.
A somewhat similar project has
been carried out for the training of
Chinese air cadets in the United
States and with our 10th Air Force
in India.
Operations in Alaska.
No real threat to the security of
our Pacific Coast region actually
developed until June, 1912, when the
large Japanese task force ap-
preached Midway and another force
approached the Aleutians. Both
were turned back after suffering
Furnishing losses. Dutch Harbor in
the Aleutians appeared to be the
immediate objective of the Japa-
nese. Hostile reconnaissance planes
had appeared over the Western Aleu-
tlans, submarines had been reported
IN the vicinity of Umnak and Una
laska, and our intelligence had re.
ported the presence of a naval tasl
force proceeding toward Alaskan
| waters.