Evening star., 1942-02-11
American Relieved
Of Pacific Post
At Own Request
Nv CLAUDE A. MAHONEY.

BY C1AUUE "A. MAnONE1.
Admiral Thomas c. Hart, COM
mander of the combined naval
forces of the United Nations In
the Far East, has been relieved
of command at his own request
and his duties have gone to Vice
Admiral C. E. L. Helfrich OF the
Royal Netherlands Navy, the
Navy announced today.
Vice Admiral Helfrich, commander
In chief of the Royal Netherlands
East Indies Navy, has been desig-
mated as acting commander OF the
forces and it is not known whether
his appointment is to be permanent.
Admiral Hart made his request to
be relieved because of Ill health.
Navy officials pointed out that 1t was
merely a request for relief from the
post and not a request for retire.
ment from the naval service. Ad-
miral Hart is 64 years old.
u. S. Command Subordinated.
The change in command will sub
ordinate the former Asiatic fleet,
now known as the United States
Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific, to
the new acting commander OF the
Combined Naval Forces in the Amer
ican-British- Dutch-AuStralian area.
Vice Admiral William A. Glassford,
jr., United States Navy, was put in
command of the American forces
only last Saturday.
Expanding on the new setup, a
Navy spokesman said that Vice
Admiral Helfrich probably would re-
main on land to direct and CO.
ordinate the work OF the combined
fleets and that the actual physical
fleet operation would be in charge
of Vice Admiral Glassford. The
same spokesman described Vice
Admiral Helfrich as one OF the
best-informed men on the Far East
sea problems and Vice Admiral
Glassford as an extremely active
and able of11cer.
Vice Admiral Helfrich's great
fund of knowledge of sea and de-
fense problems in the vicinity was
gained in many years OF war games
by the Dutch Navy in the Macassar
and other straits, the spokesman
said. He described the activity OF
the Dutch Navy in practicing de-
fense tactics as of the "night-and-
day" type over q period Of years.
II never saw a Navy work harder
said the spokesman, who had been
on duty with the American Navy IN
the same general area at the time.
Courage of Convictions.
While not outspoken, Vice Admiral
Helfrich was described as person
with courage Of his convictions. He
is said to have told British audi
ence in Singapore five years ago
that If Sumatra were attacked he
believed the British would stand by
them in joint resistance He re-
ceived mild diplomatic reprimands
for the statement, but has lived to
see it come true.
Vice Admiral Helfrich was born in
Semarang, Java, October, 1885. He
has been commander in chief of the
Royal Netherlands East Indies Navy
since January, 1910, and has spent
all of his working life in the Neither
lands naval forces.
He was graduated in 1907 from the
Naval College of Den Helder, Meth
erlands. He has commanded naval
forces in European and Far Eastern
waters, and was given his first null
tiple command after study at the
Naval Stan School at The Hague.
This command was a division of de-
stroyerS in the Netherlands Indies.
The new commander was subse-
quently given command of the en-
tire naval forces Of the Netherlands
Indies before rising to command OF
the Netherlands East Indian Navy.
He was a class mate at the Naval
College of Capt. j. E. Meier Ran
neft, Netherlands naval attache
here.
Hart's Request Surprise.
Admiral Hart's request for relief
from his command came as a sur
prise to many persons here who
did not realize he was suffering
from ill health. The general con-
duct OF the feet under his COM
mand has come in for unoflcial
commendation from time to time
since he assumed its leadership as
second in command to Gen. Sir
Archibald Wavell, supreme COM.
mander of the Allied forces in the
Far East.
Since December 7 there has been
no day without intensive activity
on the part of units under Admiral
(See HART, Page A-6D