BRITISH REINFORCEMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 17 October 1942, Page 5

BRITISH REINFORCEMENTS

STRATEGICAL AREAS FORTIFIED BIG ENEMY FORCE IN BURMA London, Oct. 15. "At any time now the eastern j defences of India may become a major issue in the war,” says ll»e I India correspondent of "The Times.” I "Doubtless, detailed Allied plans are ready for the reoccupation of Burma. Military circles believe the ! Japanese have suffered overmauy j hard blows in the Pacific, especialI ly in the lost of aircraft-carriers, i to undertake a sea-borne offensive ! against Ceylon or South India. There is no relaxation of military vigilance, but if the Japanese do come there will need to be a change of heart, not only among the Indian community. The great preoccupation of the i Madras Club at present is the insistence on the right which the military ' commander is himself challenging to exclude Indian officers from temporary privileges extended to British officers.” It is believed that fully a third of the Japanese forces in Burma are stricken with malaria. Nevertheless, they are in greater strength than generally supposed and recently there has been a great increase in Japanese lighter plane strength. The main enemy forces are apparently based on the Irrawaddy. The Japanese most likely plan of advance would be a series of bounds along the coastal belt from I Akvab to Chittagong, j “Considerable Chinese reinforcements i are concentrating on the Yunnan borj der. British reinforcements have pourled into India. Strategical areas have j been occupied and fortified and the training and equipping of over 1,000.000 Indian recruits accelerated in a manner lew thought possible as a result of the diversion of material from the Far East. Because of communication difficulties it is believed the Burma Road would represent the limit of an Allied advance from the north. Other Allied offensive activities would be a matter for combined operations against Rangoon and Akyab.”—P.A.