The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-11

Gen. Sir Thomas Blamey, MacAr- thurs Australian deputy in com- mand of United Nations land forces conferred with Australian Army Minister Francis M. Forde.
 Today's communique made the first mention of the presence of enemy submarines in Australian waters, working in cooperation with the Coral Sea invasion force.
 Mention of the bombing of enemy seaplanes in the Louisiades was un- derstood to mean that planes from two damaged enemy seaplane ten- ders might be stranded there.
 Eyewitness reports of the Coral Sea battle told O. the desperate at- tempt of the Japanece ships to es- cape the merciless attack of United States Navy dive bombing and tor- pedo planes and long range bomb- CTS based in MacArthur's Australian zoEc.
 A J-panese aircraft carrier, be- leved to be one of the two sunk or damaged-one certainly and both probably sunk-steered in circles, churning up a tremendous wave of foam, in its attempts to save itself
 Japs Were Desperate
 Fighter planes clashed while dive bombers and torpedo bombers dived through them on the Japanese fleet, and high overhead great United States flying fortresses and Cata- lina-C Consolidated bombers picked their targets.
 There was some belief that Jap- anese losses would prove higher than the official claims. A Sydney Sun correspondent asserted that in all, IS Japanese warships had been Sunk-two aircraft carriers, a heavy cruiser, light cruiser, nine de- stroyers, four glinboats, and pa- trol boat. This would mean a total sunk or damaged of % enemy war; ships, as it was officially asserted that a heavy cruiser, light cruiser and two seaplane tenders were damaged. This did not include the two submarines smashed in the latest plane attacks.
 Japan announced yesterday that 1t had occupied Lorengau, on Manus Island in the Admiralty group 180 miles off the north coast of New Guinea and about the same distance of the west end of the Bismarcks.
 Japan said a small Australian de- fense force destroyed the radio sta- ton, barracks, storehouses and food depots and fired afrdrome installa- tions and the hospital before retir- ing to the interior.
 This occupation had the effect of strengthening the enemy's position of northern New Guinea by ex- tending westward the string of in- vasion bases in the Bismarcks.
 It also emphasized the continued menace of the entire invasion zone, and the possibility of the formation of another Japanese fleet for an- other thrust southward.
 Washington, May 11-(UP)- Three senate airpower enthusiasts today interpreted the Coral Sea vic- tory over a Japanese fleet as con- crete evidence that "the day of the huge battleship is over."
 Sen. Sheridan Downey, D., Calif., said in an interview that the Amer ican success was apparently due to superiority in the air during the course of the battle" He added that "the need for such superiority has been demonstrated throughout the war;"
 "The development of airpower has made the huge battleship almost obsolete and will soon make it to- tally ineffective as fighting unit," he said. "Fortunately, America is the nation that can best develop airpower and therefore is the nation that will win the war.
 "The day is not too distant when heavy bombers will be capable of cruising 5000 miles carrying 50 tons of explosives. Those ships can be built and can best be built in Amer ica."
 Sens. Ralph M. Brewster, R., Me, and Edwin c. Johnson, D., Colo, agreed with Downey's estimate of the effectiveness of airpower but added note of caution. They said that battleships, while relegated to the background, would still have some uses.
 Battleships can still be effective in bombarding coastal cities that are not protected by aircraft" Johnson said. Furthermore, they can do tremendous damage to con- voys in the Atlantic that are not protected by heavy naval units"
 Brewster said airpower has devel- oped to a point where it bears "an analogy" to the striking power of 8 fleet of ships.
 We are developing an equivalent in the air to the battleship, the cruiser and the destroyer" he said.
 The heavily armored Plying Fortress" has several of the char acteristics of a battleship, he de- clared. He pointed out that it has heavy striking power and can be well protected by pursuit planes,
 "It has become almost trite to point out the effectiveness of air- planes against battleships," Brew ster said. That has been demon- strated in practically every battle of the war"