The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-03

! diately attacked the convoy with
Light bombs and machine gun fire
"As the enemy troops approached
the shore our beach defense force
attacked with artillery and machine
guns. The japanese force suffered
heavy casualties in men and boats,
the communique added.
Jap Naval Fleet Fled
The japanese naval vessels were
unable to protect the barges against
the fire of MacArthur's guns and
planes and fed out to sea.
The communique revealed for the
! first time that MacArthur's gallant
1y resisting forces were using night
fighter planes in their defense. And
for the first time in recent days, the
communique told of heavier Japa-
nese aerial attacks in support of the
desperate efforts to mop up all OF
Bataan Peninsula.
On the TANKS of Macarthur
lower Bataan line there was only
minor action, except for the Ameri-
can counter attack, it was stated
Pockets of Japanese troops were
found In isolated spots and mop
ping-up operations are underway
the communique said.
The latest success against Japa-
nese attempts to land on the west
coast Of Bataan Peninsula is one of
. series Of heavy blows being dealt
by MacArthur's troops and United
States flying fortress bombers to
Japan's three major offensives along
. 2500-mile Pacific battlefront.
The latest successes-in the wake
Of the Pacific fleets surprise bonn
bardment Of Japan's outer zone of
Island bases-spread along an arc
anchored to the besieged fortresses
Of Corregidor and Singapore.
On Vital Jap Bases
Cbmmuniques revealed that the
blows were rained upon these vital
Japanese bases of conquest with
costly effect:
1.-The winding 800-mile Straits
OF Macassar Between Borneo and
the Celebes-pathway to Java and
its wealth-where four flying fort
resses blasted the refuge of rem
nantS OF the Japanese naval force
which had lost 80 vessels in the
four-day battle OF Macassar. Nine
enemy planes were shot down; one
American bomber was lost.
AThe Japanese bases of Kuala
Lumpur and Kuantan on the Ma
1ayan Peninsula, about 200 miles
north of beleaguered Singapore,
which also were targets of the huge
flying fortresses.
aLower Bataan Peninsula and
its approaches to Corregidor fortress
in Manila Bay where MacArthur's
men crushed a savage nutcracker
offensive of two crack Japanese div
ision1 and piled the beaches and
undegbrush with enemy dead.
The assaults were timed to aug
ment determined counter-blows by
British and Netherlands Dutch
forces In defense of the invasion
routes to Singapore and Java and
apparently anticipated possible
Japanese attempt to bite off not only
Singapore but the entire western
half Of the Netherlands East Indies.
Possible Jap Swoop
Dispatches from the Pacific out
posts specialized on a possible Japa-
nese swoop upon the Dutch islands
Of Bangka and Billion off the
southeast coast Of Sumatra in an
effort to cut the last approach to
Singapore and isolate Sumatra.
Military and naval experts, al
though cheered by the latest reports
from the Far Eastern battlefront,
warred against extra 7agant optim-
Ism. They said the struggle undoubt-
eddy will continue to be a grim one
for at least several weeks.
Some interpretations of local
successes" such as the smashing of
the Japanese attempts to wrest the
southern half Of Bataan from Mac
Arthur,s forces and drive them back
into the island stronghold of Cor
regidor, were said to have been ex-
aggerated and may have conveyed