OUTLOOK BETTER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 June 1943, Page 4

OUTLOOK BETTER

ON CHINESE WAR FRONT AS RESULT OF YANGTSE BATTLES ELATION REPLACES GLOOM IN CHUNGKING. GOOD WORK BY ALLIED AIR FORCES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.10 p.m.) NEW YORK, June 3. Elation has replaced last week’s gloom and anxiety in Chungking over the fighting in the Hupeh Province, says a “New York Times” correspondent. He points out that although the Japanese still control the rich Tungtlng Lake rice-bowl and may still show an economic and strategical profit from the operations, the Chinese counter-offen-sive has proved two encouraging things—firstly, that, despite their inferior equipment, the Chinese armies have the power, will and leadership to defend themselves in mountain fighting, where the Japanese artillery is virtually impotent; secondly, that the Chinese and American air forces are able to fly in mixed formation and to win. The leader of the combined air forces, Colonel'John Alison, a veteran of many daring scraps, highly praised the work of the Chinese pilots. He said he owed his life to the timely interception of a Chinese pilot when his (Colonel Alison’s) plane was badly shot up and Zeros were crowding him . American Headquarters in China announced that the Fourteenth United States Air Force, supporting the Chinese in the Lake Tungting area, struck ten comprehensive blows on May 30 and 31. Liberators destroyed 20 Japanese fighters and probably another five during the bombardment of Ichang. Chinese fighter pilots destroyed three Japanese Zeros and probably another three. At least five enemy machines were destroyed on the ground. A gunboat was set on fire, four river boats were sunk and four locomotives destroyed. Two American planes were lost and several were damaged.