HARD FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 March 1942, Page 3

HARD FIGHTING

EXPECTED TO CONTINUE IN BURMA Position in Dutch Indies Obscure MILITARY COMMANDERS ORDERED TO HOLD OUT TO THE LAST. THE JAPANESE FOOTHOLD IN NEW GUINEA LONDON, March 9. The withdrawal of our forces from Rangoon is announced in a communique from New Delhi today. The communique states that reports from Burma indicate that on Saturday it was decided to withdraw our forces from Rangoon, after carrying out essential demolitions. It is emphasised in London that fighting in Burma has been, is and will be very hard. Lieutenant-General Sir H. Alexander has taken over command of our forces in Burma, in succession to Lieutenant-General Hutton. General Alexander is 50 years of age and was commander of the British Expeditionary Force during the last phase of the Battle of France and later succeeded General Auchinleck in the Southern Command. He saw service in the 1914-18 war and on the Indian North-West frontier. He has made his motto: “Attack, attack and attack again, even if on the defensive.” Reuter’s correspondent in Chungking states that selfsufficiency for Free China is being rapidly achieved to counter the Japanese blockade. In the Netherlands East Indies the actual military position is unknown by the Netherlands Government in London. Military commanders who may have to fight on their own initiative have been instructed to hold out to the last. There is no confirmation in London of a report that the Dutch in the Netherlands East Indies have capitulated. In New Guinea the Japanese have gained a foothold on the north-east coast. Japanese planes again bombed Port Moresby today. Australian aircraft are keeping up their attacks on the Japanese invasion fleet. The Japanese are now separated by only 400 miles flying distance from the Australian mainland and are within an hour’s flying range of Port Moresby and the rest of New Guinea. The Federal Prime Minister (Mr Curtin) has summoned a meeting of the War Cabinet to consider the latest threat to Australia. In the Philippines there has been no fighting in the past 24 hours, according to today’s Washington communique. On the island of Mindanao there has been a brisk skirmish in the Davao Gulf area.