Evening star., 1942-04-04
Texas Guard Outfit
Presumably Seized
By laps on Java
Mems Morale Excellent
On Their Lost March
Through Bondoeng
BY GEORGE WELLER,
War Correspondent of The Star and
Chicago Daily News.

war SOEIcSpOnucub OI lAc Quar- anu
Chicago Daily News.
SOMEWHERE IN AUSTRALIA,
April 4.-American troops compriS-
ing the field artillery from the Texas
National Guard went grimly through
Bandoeng about 2 pm. Sunday,
March /. They must have numbered
about 800 and their caissons were
muddy from the devious, approx
mately 600-mile drive from Malang.
These men were tired from having
driven all day and most of the night,
but whenever your correspondent,
standing beside an American colonel
in front of Homan's Savoy Hotel In
Bandoeng, called "Yay, Texas" they
raised their hands in salute.
They were mounted on everything
from big six-wheeled trucks to little
bathtub jeeps. All were big and they
looked brown and fit. One man
responded to your correspondents
call by slapping his hand across his
rife and yelling, Yeah, mani"
Then truly, one knew that the Yanks
had come.
Col. Tharp Commander.
AS they went by, failed to lden-
tify Col Tharp, their commander,
whom I knew, but this was doubtless
because he was at the head OF the
column.
1t. Gen. Helm Ter Poorten, Dutch
commander in chief, had sent the
American artillery into action about
IS miles outside Batavia not far from
Tangerant. Their mission was to
keep shellfire falling on the Japs
who had landed on Bantum PENN
Sula and were advancing on Batavia.
Apparently the Americans reached
their position late Sunday night.
What execution they wrought and
what their casualties were prior to
their eventual capture cannot be
known until disclosed by the Japs.
All American naval forces except 10
wounded and all other Army forces
except two intelligence officers and
four enlisted men had already left
Java.
Your correspondent continued to
try to get news about the Texans
until he left on Tuesday, March 3,
on the last vessel which penetrated
the Jap cruisers, submarines and
aircraft carrier, south OF TJllatjap,
but obtained no further details. The
mems morale was excellent. This
was the same battalion which fur
nished gunners for flying fortresses
and even mechanics to help the Air
Corps ground staffs, whose mainte-
nance problems were formidable.
Audacious Jap Thrust.
About 1000 Australians were de-
Tending Batavias airdrome under
Col. Arthur S. Blackburn, peace
time soldier, who previously had
been the city coroner of Adelaide.
This force presumably is also
prisoner and reasonably unhurt, be-
cause, contrary to expectations, the
Japs' aim near Batum was not to
take Batavia's S airdrome, but merely
to isolate Batavia and Tanjong
Prick as they had isolated Soera-
baja.
Japan's bid for an airdrome to
dominate the sky situation ana
strike at Bandoeng was an auda-
cious and completely successful
thrust at field only about go miles
by road and 80 miles by air from
the mountain town where Gen. Ter
Poorten planned to make his last
stand. BY backroads two Jap trucks
heavily armed and loaded with 30
infantrymen came from the beach,
head at Indramajoe up the noun
famous road and suddenly burst on
the airfield at Kalidjati. Here were
based such few remaining Royal Air
Force planes as had survived the
navy Zeros' hit and run attacks on
Palembang and Batavia. The r. A.
F. was caught completely of guard,
only one pilot being able to make a
getaway in a riddled plane by lying
fat on his face in the cockpit and
working the controls with his hands.
Only the great mountain OF Tang
koeban Prahoe separates this air
field from Bandoeng itself. The
Japs were quickly surrounded, but
somehow managed to get reinforce
ments and hold out until more
troops arrived.
Gain Airdrome Quickly.
Thus, "a hours after this landing
In Java, the Japs gained an air
drome so close to Bandoeng that
fighter planes were overhead almost
before they got sufficient height.
After that Bandoeng was subjected
constantly to intensified bombing
and machine cunning.
Furthermore, Allied troops hold
ing the line between the mountain
and the lowland now began to be
bombed and machine gunned from
the rear-a type of attack which
makes retreat difficult.
On Monday afternoon your cor
respondent saw an almost continu-
Gus air battle over Bandoeng while
a young Dutch pilot in furred boots
stood nearby saying: They got 10
of our planes on the ground for
every one in the air"
Thereafter the raids were inten-
sified and, after they reached six
daily, Bandoeng announced the |
continuous air alert which preceded |