SPECULATION LIVELY

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 252, 26 October 1942, Page 4

SPECULATION LIVELY

ALLIED ATTACK IN BURMA wavell' s tour significant? EXTENSIVE AIR RAIDS ALREADY

B.O.W.

RUGBY, Oct. 24.

Speculation on the opening of a second front against the Japanese in Burma is livelier since General Wavell's tour, says the Daily Telegraph's New Delhi correspondent. Suitable campaigning weather will last till May, but any effective Allied offensive must be opened long before then. The Japanese are apparently keeping a strong holding force in Burma, where they have established formidable defences. No one now thinks in termb of countering the new Japanese offensive. The question when it will be now refers to the British attack against the Japanese, instead of the Japanese invasion of India. The Daily Mail's Assam correspondent says that British and American air forces based in India are carrying out extensive operations against Japanese targets in Burma. Transport centres as well as airfields are fceing plastered. An air communique issued in New Delhi to-day states that R.A.F. bfombers yesterday attacked lower Burma, bomfos being dropped on aerodromes and an enemy-occupied village in the Akyab area on the coast. Bombs were seen to burst on the waterfront and fires were left burning. "Japan intends to hold her new tinpire no matter what happens in Europe," says Joseph Harsch, writing in the Christian Science Monitor. "It would be the height of foolish optimism to assume that Germany and Japan will collapse just because they have lost military momentum. When Germany and Japan were approaehing exhaustion both might plan to launch a peace drive. Japan nas often shown greater astuteness than Germany and might launch the drive when she has settled down on her conquests. In Germany there is alv. ays the possibility that the generals will oust Hitler when his dream is proven unattainable and adopt the Japanese plan of a limited objective." BROAD CONQUEST PLANNED. Tokio radio revealed that the Ivlinistry of Education, in conjunction with the military authorities, is preparing to teach the Japanese way of life to 1,000,000,000 people in occupied territories. The New York Times points out that the figure is striking, for, even if China is included, such a population is unattainable without India.

The Japanese announcement that American pilots taken prioner while bombing Japan will be court-mar-tialled brought an immediate British broadcast from India demanding that the Japanese inform the 'Allies of the location of sohools and hospitals in Japan so that they can be avoided during raids. The' New Delhi correspondent of the Assoeiated Press of Great Britain says that the i roadcast, which was made in Japanese, recalled that the Japanese army !. oinbed Chinese cities relentlessly and also recalled that the Japanese requested the evacuailon of Nanking before bombing. "On this analogy," he says, "the Airies have every right to demand the evacuation of civilians frrm Tokio, Osaka, Koge and other big cities. If any remain and are killed by bombs the fault is theirs alone. This at least is the reasoning of the Japanese Army and Navy Ministries. No threats of this sort have the slightest effect on Allied war strategy. Allied pilots take no notice of terrorist methods.' General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in- Chief, India, has visited the Chinese Expeditionary Force now in training in eastern India. He inspected a guard of honour formed by the Chinese regiments which served with such distinction in Burma. He later watched exercises by Chinese troops using up-to-date American weapons. V