Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-12-18
TIE WORLD
IN ~ REVIEW
BY Maj. Gen.
D. P. Barrows
pEINvIGoRATED Chinese.

DEINVIGORATED Ch j nese-
IA armies have defeated two
Japanese offensive movements
thruSting upon the city of Kwei-
yang. the capital of the hitherto
unlnvaded province of kwei-
chow.
kweiyang is the modal point
on the land route reaching
Chungking.
For some days il appeared
that Japanese armies would
take this city. This would have
been a major disaster. cutting =
what is left Of free China in
two
What seems to have been a
sort OF SpaSm of national re.
sentiment an. energy has en-
abled the Chinese 10 throw
these invaders back into the
province of KwangSi
The Japanese may renew
their attack. but China has
gained Il respite from imminent
danger of overthrow. Chung
king has at least temporary
relief of mind.
The same is observable at
Washington. where our official
dom. long Indifferent and COM
placCnt suddenly became jittery
over its own and China's fail
ure. and propheSied that the
defeat of China might prolong
our war against Japan for-as
much as 10 years.
THE Importance Of this south
western area of China can
be understood by reviewing its
place -in-tha years of struggle
for Chinese preservation.
In 1887, having already over
run Manchuria, the Japanese
struck at China both from the
north and up the Yangtse valley
from Shanghai.
BY 1888 they had succeeded
IN gaining the fertile and level
plains of North China. They
had captured most Of the cities
where Chinese life has long CEN
tered, had looted and destroyed
the resources Of the country,
and had inflicted incredible
losses upon the people.
The Chinese armies could not
successfully contend with the
Japanese IN these coastal prov
inceS..
Government and people made
the decision TO retire into the
high, mountainous, and little
developed regions of China.
where enemy artillery and tanks
could not easily pursue them,
As the Japanese advance was
checked, IL was compelled TO
pause. And the Chinese re-
established themselves in their
new and more defensible homes.
SOUTHWEST China, unlike
~ the coastal plains. which are
best known TO foreigners, is
high plateau, an extension of the
lIimalaya mountain syst m,
which slopes eastward from
Thibet.
Mountain ranges 10 heights of
10000 feet cross this plateau.
Routes of communication and
paths OF invasion run through
passes in these mountains that
are defenSible.
The capital and army head
quarters moved 10 Chungking,
an +1e extreme western province
of SZcchWan, which is defended
by cnCircllng ranges of noun
tainS, and the famous gorges Of
the YangtSe River.
The Chinese carried with them
everything that they could
transport. They moved factories,
including arSenals; they trans
ferred their universities and
centers of modern enighten-
ment.
BY hand labor they built new
truck roads They even built a
new railway from kweilln nearly
10 kWeiyang. using rails. fish
plates, bolts and spikes taken
from a railroad a thousand miles
away.
TlIIS was perhaps the greatest
Il national migration of modern
times. It's general movement
was somewhat analogous to the
remarkable retirement of the
Russian people before the Ger
man invasion, and their transfer
of industrial plants TO eastern
Russia and even 10 Siberia.
This practically new China is
the last ground for Chinese re-
SiStance. Isolated. and COM
pletely cut off from access to
the sea. its hope of support de-
ponds upon the reopenlng Of the
Burma road.
Late last winter the Japanese
set out TO conquer this final
refuge OF the Chinese.
They have nearly accom-
phShcd this brutal design The
4 a