The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-21
Interpreting
The War
Associated Press War A..,

Associated Press War Analvs.
Startling Allied successes scoras
in Italy in the curtain raiser fo.
the opening battle of Europe sra
matched by events across the D.
cific no less ominous for Janoa
Developments of last weel,
make clear that the hit-Hitler-Firs>
program is being carried to il
logical conclusion without pren.
dice to prosecution of the Anglo.
American-Chinese war against Ia
pan. In the far Pacific, in Burn
in the Dutch Indies, even in lon9
suffering China, progress is bein9
made toward day of reckoinin9
wit Tokyo's war lords despite inn
mediate concentration of Allied Of.
fort in the European theater
Even the first junction of Allied
forces in the Pacific and tn, In.
dian oceans has been achieved bv
air over Java. That means that
the last gap in the Allied ring
about the Nipponese China sea
conquest zone had been air-closed
Significant Events
For immediate purposes HOW
ever, it was in upper Burma and
the Yunan province of China that
the most significant events of the
Asiatic war theater were record.
ed, Desperate attempts by japan
to prevent or delay reopening of
adequate communications with
China have been foiled in India
The powerful and reasonably well
equipped Chinese army is Yunan
is on the march westward, undeter.
red by still developing enemy of.
fensive in Honan.
Early opening of a supply route
from India to China via the Ledo
road is in prospect. The Yunan
troops and general Stilwelrs mixed
forces in upper Burma are 60
miles OF less apart, air line Dis.
aster threatens japanese troops op.
posing them.
Tokyo is fully aware of Just
what an actual junction of the two
forces to reopen land traffic with
Chungking armies would mean for
Japan. japanese radio broadcasts
have ben ittery for weeks with
expectations of American bombing
attacks from China on Japan it.
self, and on all its key bases about
the China sea
The abortive ''inva sion" of Inria
fromupper Burma aimed at Still
wells supply lines was despe.
rate attempt to ward off or mini.
mize that threat to the home land.
1t is possible that even the ia.
panese offensive in Honan had the
same motivation in part, that it was
designed to force Chungking to call
the Yunan army northward and
thereby defer indefinitely compile.
ton of the Ledo road.
Chinese military spokesmen see
another and even graver signifi-
canoe for the enemy is that north
China japanese offensive. They be-
lieve it can be traced to Tokyo
realization in the light of stunning
continue to serve their needs. The
shipping losses that the traffic
lanes of the China sea cannot long
only alternative is establishment
of rail communicate in China from
Peiping to Canton.
Whatever the real motive of the
Japanese in the Honan operation,
however, it has not checked the
Allied-Chinese Burma operatins.
And, meanwhile General Mac
Arthur has pushed his New Guinea
spring for return to the
Philippines another stride north
west up the coast of the big island
His air power has been brought
forward until virtually no hippo
nese base around a circule that
reaches from southeastern Min
danao in the Philippines, through
Celebes Island and down through
Timor off the northwestern coast
of Australia is beyond reach Of
bic haaUv hopohar