The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-05

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bomber and one enemy pursuit plane
were shot down. One OF our planes
b missing" the communique said.
u. 8. Flying fortress bombers,
with tremendous cruising range,
have been in action in the far Pa
cific for weeks but the P-40 fighters
have comparatively short range
about 300 miles-and 1t Is difficult
to transport them quickly 10 far
away battle areas.
Because of this, the flying fort
resses, striking along the route OF
the japanese thrust toward Java
and along the Malay Peninsula
above have been handicapped by a
lack OF adequate fighter protection.
Savage Japs Delayed
Todays communique said that
the Savage character" of the Jap
snese drive which has been almost
continuous for the past two weeks,
was lacking. During the past "a
hours, 1t was stated, fighting was
limited to relative minor patrol &C
TONS"
The japanese forces facing Mac
Arthur's right sector near the b.
tam east coast are under command
Of Lieutenant General Akira Nara
and those on the left near the
China Sea are commanded by Lieu
tenant Naoki Kimura, 1t was stated.
Battling night and day against
Japanese shock troops landed from
naval craft and fleets Of invasion
bargeS, MacArthur's forces were said
TO be holding the enemy at stand
still almost everywhere along the
weaving line bisecting the thumb
like peninsula on the Philippines
Island Of LuzOn.
Although striving urgently for a
knockout blow to drive the Amer
leans and F1lipinoS from Luzon Is
Land and back onto Corregidor fort
ress In Manila Bay, the japanese
appeared on the basis OF official war
department communicates TO nave
made no real progress for three days
In marked contrast with the early
phases of the offensive directed by
Lieutenant General Masaharu Ho-
NINA. commander OF the Japanese
14th army, when japanese dive
bombers blasted the defenders, the
Japanese aerial support has fallen
Of notably.
Advance units of Japanese troops,
infiltrating behind Macarthur lines
are being encircled and mopped up
and Homma's attempts to land fresh
reinforcements on the Bataan west
coast have been shattered by artil-
lery and aerial fire.
Sharply Repulsed
Everywhere across the peninsula,
the war department reported, the
Japanese have been SHARPLY re-
pulsed" or routed by determined
counter-attacks.
Military experts said that al
though MacArthur's men In the
mountainous trails and tangled jun
gle underground of Bataan, were
putting up thrilling fight and
taking a heavy toll of the best of
Japan'S warriors, the odds against
them still were so great 1t might be
impossible to delay for long the
final chapter Of the battle of
Bataan.
Gen. Homma, who Is the japanese
army's expert" On the western
world which he frequently visited
as champion OF good will and dis
armament, may have relaxed his Of
fensive in order to regroup his bat
tered forces preparatory TO a new
blow, 1t was said.
Since January II when Macarthur
reported that strong enemy drive
down the Bataan peninsula had
been started, the japanese have
been trying to reach Corregidor
fortress and It's four buttressing
forts, about II miles south Of Mac
Arthur's front lines stretching across
the peninsula from the China sea