Hurry, Hurry

In China last week the Japanese held all but 50 of the 450 miles of railroad between Nanchang and Hangchow, and they strove mightily to close the last gap. Chinese counter-drives did not stop them. The Japanese had nearly completed the first step in gaining control of an overland route all the way from Shanghai to Indo-China, Siam, Burma and Malaya. That would remove a great load from their transports and warships. And it would bring China perilously close to defeat.

In fighting far to the south, around Linghsien, Chinese troops found themselves with too few grenades to throw at the advancing Japs; they threw rocks. China's peasant soldiers fought hard. At Fuchow, the Japs loaded 3,000 wounded on 20 steam launches to be taken down river.

Help from the U.S. to China was said to be on the way at last. Chungking announced that U.S. bombers would be flown to Chinese fronts by Colonel Caleb Haynes, who has been running the air ferry to China from India. Carolina-born, 47, Colonel Haynes is a crack airman who once, from his transport plane, fought off a Jap fighter with a tommy gun.

According to one estimate, the Jap has hardly more than 300 planes in China--although, of course, he is putting them to maximum use. U.S. bombers--and more fighters for Claire Chennault's Flying Tigers--should make a difference.

But they must get there in a hurry. For China is fast losing her war with Japan, and that means that the United Nations are fast losing Asia. To beat China down, it is not necessary for the Japanese to take every bit of Chinese terrain, or even most of it. China is war-parched and war-tired. Chiang Kai-shek does not want to give up to the Japanese, but high in the councils of Chungking there are those who might make peace and set up with Japan an Asiatic imperialism, with the white man evicted finally and forever. If China sinks farther into the morass of defeat, the Chungking appeasers may summon strength enough to overcome Chiang and have their way.

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