Evening star., 1942-02-03
Nipponese Flyers
Blast Navy Bose
At Soerobojo
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
BATAVIA, Netherlands Indies,
Feb. s. Strong Japanese air
forces smashed at Soerabaja, the
great Indies naval base, and its
fanking air fields today in an
evident attempt to cripple the
United Nations striking power
in the wake of an American
aerial attack which sank two,
and possibly three, more inva-
sion transports in Macassar
Strait.
1t was the first enemy thrust at
Java, one of the strongholds Of the
Indies defense, and the Dutch
acknowledged that the raiders had
scored some damage to naval estab-
lishmentS at Soerabaja, which lies
close to the southern gate of Ma
CAESAR Strait, and to "a few air
craft lying on the water"
Aneta News Agency, however,
said anti-aircraft batteries and
mobile anti-aircraft guns defending
the base went into instant action
and bagged at least one bomber and
several fighter planes eScorting the
26 bombers in the enemy armada.
Two Bomber Thrusts.
American bomber successes
against japanese ships at Balik
Papan yesterday were revealed in a
communique transmitted through
Batavia from Allied general head
quarters on Java.
tThe War Department revealed
yesterday that four flying fort
resses on a mission to Balik
Papan had shot down nine jap
anese fighters.
The American flyers blows were
struck in two forays against the
japanese convoy of Balik Papan.
the strait harbor on the east coast
of Dutch Borneo which the invaders
have occupied.
The -terse announcement was the
first OF major japanese sea losses in
the Macassar Strait since the four
day running battle from January
% to January rs in which at least
80 and perhaps as many as As ships
of, a great Japanese armada were
sunk or heavily damaged
The .communique said that during
the past few days Allied aircraft
carrying out reconnaissance on
fl 'Maeassair strait 'haye
Shot" down d total OF Anine enemy
aircraft for a loss of one of our own"
and Dutch aircraft shot down a hos
tile machine in another part of
the area.
In addition to these special op-
erations." said the comnunique, the
fourth to be issued from the Java
offices of Gen. Sir Archibald P.
Wavell, normal attacks on enemy
airdromes and bases have been car
ried out with satisfactory results
over the area between Malaga and
the East Celebes."
Aim to Cripple Base.
The main objectives of the Jap
raiders. military observers told Aneta,
undoubtedly were to cripple the Soer-
abaja base, whose Importance to the
United Nations in the Pacific has
become paramount now that Singa-
pore is under siege, and to incapaci-
tate airfields there. at Malang, Ma
doien and Magician.
Like Soerabaja itself, all those
fields are at the disposal of United
Nation forces now in Java and are
a serious menace to japanese op-
erations. They lie along an arc
from the port of Rembang. about
100 miles west of Soerabaja, to Ma
lang, roughly the same distance to
the southeast.
The first war bulletin said no de-
tails were available except that
there had been rather consider
able damage to material" and a
mentioned only the spe-
cif1c damage to planes and naval
establishments at Soerabaja.
Aneta said there were no cas-
lCno TNnTEC pace Al