IMPROVEMENT SEEN

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 190, 10 May 1944, Page 5

IMPROVEMENT SEEN

Situation In Burma (British Official Wireless.) .RUGBY, May 8. A general improvement in the situation in Burma in the past week is regarded in London as being indicated by the recent communiques. General Stilwell’s troops, aided by United States medium tanks, are making steady progress down the Hukawng Valley, and are now .nine miles from Kamaing, 20 miles from the Mogaung-Myitkyina railway. Parallel with General Stilwell’s forces Gurkha and Kachin troops are advancing down the Mali or Fort Mertz Valley toward Myitkyina. The information available concerning General Lentaigne’s airborne troops in the Katha area suggest that they are successfully drawing off the Japanese troops from the main operations. In the Imphal area, though the latest communique mentions vigorous counterattacks by the enemy which have been repulsed with “disproportionately heavy losses/’ our troops have now advanced 28 of the 70 miles from Imphal to Kohima. There appears to be no co-ordinated attack in this aren. In fact the Japanese Fifteenth Division appears-to have been so heavily maifled in its advance from the south and west, of Imphal that it hns turned to withdraw up the Ukhrul road back to its bases to recover. The Japanese advances in the Bishenpur area have also died down and in the successful defence Kohimavin. which is a satellite village occupied by the Japanese, was cut off by our troops. This has greatly reduced , the Japanese strength and checked the Japanese movement south toward Imphal. The Japanese pressure on the important motor road from Palel to Tama and Chindwin has also lessened and the enemy’s supplies arfe now in Jeopardy. Considerable co-ordination seems to have been effected between our air and ground forces, as is shown by recent operations.