Evening star., 1942-03-02
Assault on Jayu

The supreme struggle for Java Is
on. A double-headed armada of
Japanese warships and troop trans
ports, winning past the furious re-
sistance of United Nations squadrons
and planes, has made three separate
landings on Java's northern coast
and have established at least tenn
porary footholds. Two of these land
ings are fairly close together at the
western end Of the island, on either
side Of Batavia, Java's capital and
metropolis, and also threatening the
inland mountain citadel of Ban
doeng, seat OF the Dutch air force and
munitions manufacture. The third
landing, far to the eastward, is aimed
primarily at soerabaja, the main
Dutch naval base. with Javas oil
fields as secondary objective.
This multiple assault was neither
unexpected nor unheralded. The
Japanese high command obviously
was bound to do its utmost to
conquer the center Of Dutch colonial
power on an island which served the
vital function Of keystone in the i'm
mense defensive arch which stretches
from India to Australia. The pre-
lminary attacks began over a week
ago with sudden Japanese descent
on the paradise isle of Bali, Just off
Java's eastern extremity. Although
some troops got ashore, the fleet was
chased off by concentrated bombings
Of Dutch and American planes. Four
days later, Dutch air patrols sighted
a still larger fleet approaching Java
itself from the northward That fleet
seems to have been held up in two
day battle waged by the United Ma
tions naval and air arms over the
Java Sea. But even this japanese
force was merely one segment of the
huge armada Java-bound. Hope
lessly outnumbered, the Allied squad
rons appear to have sacrificed them
selves heroically, infiicting heavy
losses, but failing to stop the in
vasion.
However, trio of successful land
ings does not mean that victory for
Japan is In sight. Java is a big is
land, more than 900 miles long,
though averaging less. than 100 miles
wide. 1t is mass of volcanic noun
tains, through and around which
winds veritable network of good
roads with an efficient railway Sys-
tenn as well. This means that the
defenders can concentrate swiftly
against invaders, wherever they may
appear. Such concentrations are now
In progress, to pin the japanese to
their beachheads and drive them
back into the sea. The Dutch CO.
lonlal army on Java is supposed to
number 100000, we'll armed and
equipped, and aided by thousands of
Australians, British and American
soldiers. The indications are, there
fore, that the defenders can put up a
prolonged fight even against heavy
odds.
Although the normal line of COM
munications with Australia has been
severed by the japanese capture of
Timor Island, aid can still reach Java
by roundabout route to its southern
coast, facing on the Indian Ocean,
Such aid may partially offset the
Japanese hordes pouring into Java
from the northern side and across
the narrow Sunda Strait from Su-
matra, now firmly in japanese hands.
An epic struggle is thus in prospect.
The Dutch have sworn to battle to
the last. Theirs is the same door
die spirit as that of Macarthur and
his heroes on Bataan Peninsula. Like
Paul Jones, che indomitable Dutch
and their Allies on Java have Just
begun to fight.