Evening star., 1944-04-17
Allies Counterattacking in India;
Soviet Forces Reported Driving
Through Suburbs Of Sevastopo|
Positions North
Of ImphoI Taken
In New Blows
FIVE BRITISH NEWSMEN halt
Burma dispatches in censorship
protest. Page A-3
By the Associated Press.

FIVE BRITISH NEWSMEN halt
Burma dispatches in censorship
protest. Page A-3
BY the Associated Press.
HANDY, Ceylon, April IT.
Very heavy casualties have been
inflicted on the enemy and i'm
portant positions captured north
of Imphal in counteroperations
against the japanese invasion of
India, Admiral Lord Louis
Mountbatten announced today
in a communique issued from
his new operational headquar-
tiers here.
The British also improved their
positions in the hills northeast of
Tmphal, beyond the 10-mile rice
paddy belt protecting the vital
Allied storehouse and supply base.
Meanwhile, official silence fell over
the operations of the glider-borne
Chindits, whose new-found strategy
of infiltration by air, as reported in
yesterdays communique, appeared
to have promised a new turn to
the entire Burma India campaign.
Error Is Disclosed.
The Sunday communique said
medium bombers of the air Com
mando force of the Tactical Air
Force continued the offensive
against enemy communications and
in support of ground positions in
daylight on April IA in the Yeu,
Shwebo and Mawlu areas
Yeu and Shwebo are approx
nately 60 miles north of Manda-
lay, where the Chindits-British
and Indians formerly commanded
by the late Maj. Gen. Orde C. Win
gate-would be in position to cut
the enemy's supply lines to the
north, including those to the India
invasion front. ass
Today, however, an official ex-
PLANTATION said this section of the
communique had referred "erro-
neously and inadvertently" to
ground positions in the Yeu and
Shwebo areas.
tThe official explanation did
not specifically deny that ground
forces were in the areas men
tioned.)
Commenting on the move of
Admiral Mountbatten's headquar-
ters to this hilly central district of
Ceylon, Admiral Sir Geoffrey lay
ton, commander -in-chief of Ceylon.
declared it marked a further stage
IN the organization of q full-scale
offensive against Japan"
Eventually we can expect the
supreme Allied commander (Ad-
n1iral Mountbatten) to move his
headquarters into reconquered ter
ritory," he said.
Contact With Naval Forces.
Admiral Mountbattens transfer
OF headquarters placed him in di-
rect contact with Allied naval
forces in this theater.
"a German broadcast of a
Rangoon dispatch declared a
British division and two brigades,
deeply dug in along the road
south of Imphal, had opened a
fierce counterattack" to regain
ground around Bishenpur and
Moirang after strong preparatory
fire from large caliber artillery
and mortars.
(To the north, however. less
than a mile northwest of Kohima,
the broadcast said, British ar
tlnery unit was compelled to
begin general retreat" in the
face of repeated bayonet charges.
An adjoining unit on a height
was facing Imminent annihila-
tion," the radio asserted.)
The important positions captured
north OF Imphal helped clear the
road which runs go miles north from
1mphal to Kohima, thence to Dina
pur over the Naga hills on the
Bengal-Assam railway. Admira,
Mountbatten's communique said.
Establishment of positions al
Shwebo, on the Myitkyina -Mandalay
railway, and at Yeu, a nearby river
port, would place Allied troops 12C
miles deeper in enemy territory than
they have been before. HeadQuar.
tiers previously had announced that
Chindits were at Mawlu, on the rail-
way lSo miles north of Mandalay.
Firmly Astride Supply Lines.
That the ChipditS were still firmly
sstride the enemy's supply arteries
to Myitkyina was indicated by to.
days communique. which sale
fighters and medium bombers
bombed and strafed enemy posi-
tions in the Kamaing, Mawlu anc
Mohnyin areas, bombs falling ir
target areas as indicated by ground
troops"
Mohnyin is about 18 miles north
of Mawlu on the railroad to Myit-
kyina. kamaing is in the Mogaung
Valley just ahead of 1t. Gen. Joseph
w. Stilwell's offensive in North
Burma.
Dispatches from North Burma said
Gen. Stilwell's Chinese were barely
mile from Warazup, 25 miles north
Of Kamaing.
To the east of the Mogaung Valley
Allied forces on the Fort Hertz trail
outfianked the japanese at Tiang-
zup. approximately As miles north
lsee BURMA, Page A-5J