| Show I I I China Suffers Reversal In Rice Bowl Admits Loss to fo Japs Of I Allies AlUes Hammer Isles By Associated Press The Chinese have suffered a se serious serious serious se- se rious reversal in the rice ice bowl sector of central China but on all other fronts of at the Pacific war warthe warthe warthe the offensive remained in the hands of ot the allies The Chinese high command admitted admitted admitted ad ad- the loss of ot the Hunan province province province ince city of December 3 after 15 days' days siege by the Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese and bitter fighting which inflicted inflicted inflicted in in- heavy casualties on both sid sides Fall of the ancient city brought the prospect of a third Japanese attempt to capture the provincial capital 10 miles away The v victory not only gave the enemy control of the rice nee bowl region but the Szechwan Hunan-Szechwan supply line one of ot the Chinese army's principal sources of supply Continue Attacks In the southwest Pacific however however however how how- ever the allies continued heavy aerial attacks on Japanese Island positions amid further signs of ot preparations for new offensives An allied in New Delhi told of ot day and night attacks attacks attacks at at- tacks during the last eig t dayson days days' dayson on Japanese installations in southern Louthera southern south south- ern era Burma and the Adaman islands in the Bay of Bengal The Burma I targets target included Rangoon Manda- Manda and Hebe be i allies lost 12 pl planes n s to 18 forthe Japanese S 5 S x i In a move to facilitate better timing of their blows against the Japanese General Douglas MacArthur MacArthur MacArthur MacAr- MacAr thur southwest Pacific commander commander com com- mander and Admiral Lord Louis allied commander for southeast Asia have agreed on plans for instantaneous instantaneous' interchange interchange interchange inter inter- change of information Speculation on the allies allies' next move in the Pacific was heightened heightened heightened height height- ened by the war production boards board's urgent call for vast quantities of ot steel plat plates and sheets to build invasion craft for further attacks on German and Japanese areas A high ranking military authorIty authority authority author author- ity in the southwest Pacific was quoted in a a. dispatch as saying Germanys Germany's defeat would have a greater effect on shortening the war in the Pacific than generally estimated Bomb New Britain BritainA A lull settled over ground fightIng fighting fighting fight fight- ing on the Huon peninsula of New Guinea and on Bougainville in the Solomons as allied bombers pounded the northern arc of Japa Japa- nese-held nese New Britain and the enemy's remaining baseS based in the northern Solomons The bombers concentrated again on Cape Gloucester in a ton attack on the western tip of New Britain where reconnaissance showed barge and troop movement centers More than planes participated in the raids Effect of earlier attacks on Ra- Ra baul the enemy's principal base on New Britain was indicated by aerial observation It showed the use of ot harbor by Japanese naval craft was extremely limited and that the airfields had somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what over plan planes preponderantly preponderantly antly fighters This Increased the belief bellet that usefulness to the Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese may be about ended Rear Admiral Robert Carney chief chiet of ot I staff in the south Pacific area I said yesterday It Is no longer tenable tenable tenable ten ten- able as a Japan Japanese e base with the allies holding both aerial and naval supremacy in that sector I |
