| Show I Counter assaults on Oil Field or Sector I Relieve Relieve Pressure Pressure of Jap Push Rescue Several Thousand Britons I By ROBERT P. P MARTIN China April 20 Chinese UP Chinese UP-Chinese Chinese troops aided by British armored units recaptured the key town of Yen ng- ng in the Burma oil fie fields ds and fiercely counterattacked another another an an- other Japanese column on the Sit river riverfront front war ques ues said Monday night The Chinese armies under Lieutenant Lieutenant LieU- LieU tenant General Joseph W. W Stilwell killed Japanese in two days of f heavy fighting on the aung sector where their victory I. I broke roke an enemy encirclement of British troops and restored the allied Hied defense front in the oil field fieldor or r western sector On the eastern sector a com corn said that the Chinese were holding near on the he river after making a aeries series eries of fierce counterattacks Face race Jap Artillery The attacks were made In the face ace of intensive Japanese artillery artillery artil- artil lery ery fire lire and aerial bombardment the he said adding that the he Japanese now were 35 miles south south- of on the river iver front The Japanese on the are advancing on a third sector ector from Thailand The Chinese reinforcements were believed to have eased tern tem a tense allied situation In Inthe inthe the he heart of the destroyed oil fields ields The said the Chinese Chinese Chinese Chi Chi- nese forces had been moved into the he area from Ky- Ky 35 miles to the northeast northeast northeast north north- east and only miles below Mandalay Trap Crap Ended After two days of bitter fighting fight fight- log ing ng Chin Chinese e troops from Kyauk- Kyauk sent to rescue trapped British forces have have haye rec recaptured ung f fro r mo o m ni J Japanese hands lands the said Several thousand d British troops have been released from an encirclement encirclement encirclement en en- w which ich had been made by a superior number of Jap Jap- anese Despite the ferocity of the fighting fightIng fight- fight ing ng Chinese suffered only approxImately approximately casualties the com corn revealed It was the first real counterblow against the Japanese on the Irra- Irra waddy front since the weary British British British Brit Brit- ish soldiers evacuated miles below and started their slow retreat toward the oil fields Only yesterday it was revealed that hat Chinese troops under Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieu- Lieu tenant General Joseph W. W Stillwell had been sent to the area to aid the British The number number number num num- ber of reinforcements was not dis dis- dis- dis closed A continued critical Sino-British Sino situation on the and river fronts was bringing sharp demands for a unified unified unified uni uni- fied allied command and a timely coun counteroffensive ter ff ensi ve Urge ReInforcements The semiofficial Chinese Central news agency Urging immediate rei reinforcements reinforcements- cements said only a supreme supreme su su- su- su preme command could prevent the collapse of allied resistance in Burma Independent retreats it said constantly exposed the flanks of allied units on other fronts The agency did not suggest whether the supreme supreme commander should be Stillwell or the British commander General Harold R. R L L. G. G Alexander Central also urged a strengthening strengthen strengthen- ing of American volunteer group and Royal Air Force units to offset off off- set Japans aerial erial ef al superiority and ands s said id the allies should enlist the assist assistance assistance as as- nce of Burmese natives These demands followed an an- an announcement from New Delhi India that five Japanese four- four ngin d flying boats were destroyed destroyed de de- de- de strayed or damaged in a Royal I Air Force raid Saturday on Port Blair Bair in the Andaman islands |
