Burma Revisited

Last week the British made the first move back into Burma. Announced General Sir Archibald Wavell's headquarters: "During the past few days some of our troops have advanced southward from the Arakan border into western Burma. . . . The enemy . . . withdrew without offering opposition."

The British had pushed some 40 miles down the Bay of Bengal coast toward Akyab along one of three main invasion routes open to the United Nations. (The others: southwest from China down the Burma Road, east from Assam into northern Burma.)

Reconquest of Burma is a formidable task which will probably require coordinated action along all three routes, plus a strong naval force along the Burmese coast. That would mean participation of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's armies on a footing of equality. China is anxious that the blow be struck only when sufficient planes, tanks, guns and other weapons (supplied by the U.S. and Britain) have been amassed to equip a concentration of soldiers (supplied chiefly by China and India).

In speaking their convictions in United Nations' councils, the Chinese have had to balance their fear of Japanese armies massed in northern Burma against the fear that the Allies might strike too soon. It looked last week as though the Chinese had argued one side of their case better than the other. General Wavell's cautiously worded communique made the British advance appear to be either an attempt to divert Japan from attacking southern China or a bid for hop-off positions for a future offensive, rather than a broadly conceived campaign to reconquer Burma.

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