The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-02-04
DUTCH FIGHTING
 HARD AT AMBOINA

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 Continued from Page D official said.
 The Dutch Aneta news agency quoted him as saying that the Jap anese had failed to locate some 50 Netherlands airports hidden in the Borneo jungles.
 From those fields we can keep Up si irited guerrilla warfare, which will cost the enemy dear," he declared.
 Dange:. Lies Ahead
 He admitted, however, that the Japanese would be in position for a strong offensive against the city of Bandjermasin, on the South Borneo coast, should they successfully con- solidate their positions at Balik Papan.
 But even if the Japs can seize coastal positions they will not dare set foot in the islands vast jungles, , he said. "One thing that will help stop thcm-in addition to the dense underbrush, fever and sWamps-are the Dyaks (native head-huntersD They don't like strangers" Dutch forces a,so are resisting still in the region of Balik Papan, on the east coast of Borneo, where Netherlands and United States air. planes and Warships were reported launching a new hunt for Japanese invasion ships in the Macassar Strait.
 The communique released through the Netherlands Indies news agency, said eight Japanese fighter planes and two bombers were believed shot down out of a fleet of between 70 ard 30 Japanese planes which yes- terday attacked Soerabaja, the great naval and air force base on Java Island.
 It was admitted that Netherlands losses were "very considerable" At Soerabaja 31 persons were re- ported killed, 83 seriously wounded and 56 slightly wounded.
 Lasted Nearly Hours
 The raid lasted for two hours 40 minutes.
 There were reports that the Jap anese planes, had come from one of three aircraft carriers recently sighted near the Bismarck Islands northeast of Australia. The Japanese also attacked sev- eral places on the island of Madura, just off Soerabaja, and wounded four persons. In the naval base at tack, Aneta said, g houses were demolished, workshop was dam aged and five naval aircraft, used for trainers, were machine gunned and set afire.
 At Tuban, city of 25,00O on the north coast of Borneo and about 60 miles from Soerabaja, 18 persons, mostly natives, were killed. At Madioen 10 were killed and 27 wounded.
 Rack and Forth On the basis of new advices, the Netherlands command reported that success in the fighting on Ambolna Island, between Celebes and New Guinf l, was going first to one side and then to the other.
 It was indicated that the Japanese Were meeting unexpectedly heavy res stance and that they had failed cc .npletely to gain their hoped for quick victory.
 As regards the Dutch plane losses in the Soerabaja raid, the communique said that more planes than pilots were lost. Some pilots landed at other fields than those from which they took off, it was said, so that exact losses of the Netherlands air force could not im- mediate,y be fixed.
 Four persons were killed and three wounded, all civilians, by the Japanese planes, it was said. Casualties and damage were held to minimum because there had been ample vS rning of the raid and fighter planes and guns were ready for action. ...'- Damage to military installations was negligible, it was asserted.
 It was disclosed that Japanese | planes also attacked Netherlands warships at various places but it was said that they failed to score any hits.
 In addition to raiding Soerabaja and airdromes within a 125-mile radius of it, the Japanese planes also machine gunned native villages in Eastern Java, the communiaue said, and succeeded in killing four persons, including a woman and child, and in Wounding three chil- dren.
 Hunting Jap Ships
 Well informed quarters said that Dutch and American planes and Warships were hunting through the Macassar Strait for Japanese in- vasion ships, especially in the Ba- lik Papan area.
 They said that new attacks on Japanese ships were likely to over shadow in importance theo savage Japanese airplane attacks on Soera- baja, the great Netherlands Indies naval base, and air bases elsewhere on Java island.