The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-02-11
American Commander Quits Far East Duty
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csc aerial attacks and of the grim determination" of the American Filipino troops to give a glorious &C., count of themselves to the very end.
 Pay Terrific Price
 The Japantse clearly are paying terrific price for every inch of ground gained and the defenders mean to keep 1t that way.
 The war department cautioned, in two commun.ques yesterday, that miracles cannot be expected in the jungles and mountains of Ba- taan, but there was no indication that MacArthur was yet falling back upon Corregidor.
 Instead, it appeared that his forces still were fighting along a line anchored to the areas of Bagac and Pillar on the China Sea and Manila Bay coasts of Bataan, even counter r-attacking successfully at times to prevent the Japanese from slicing into their ranks to prevent an orderly withdrawal southwark
 Military informants said they be- lieved MacArthur's lines still were Is or IF miles north of Corregidor and it might be several days before any word IS received of with draWal back upon the island for tress.
 These officials were gloomy but by no means in despair over the bleak news from Singapore 1,500 miles southwest of the Philippines.
 Naval Orders
 Washington, Feb. 11.-CUP)- The navy announced today that U. $. Admiral Thomas c. Hart has been relieved at his request from combined naval forces of the United Nations in the Far East. Vice Ad- miral c. E. L. Helfrich of the Royal Netherlands navy has been named acting commander.
 The naVy's announcement of the change in command follows.
 "In view of Admiral Thomas C. Harts' request to be relieved be- cause of ill health, Vice Admiral c. E. l.. Helfrich, Royal Netherlands navy, has been designated as act ing commander combined naval forces ABDA (American-British Dutch Australian area"
 It was explained that this did not mean that Hart, who is 64, is re- tiring from the naval service.
 Senior American admiral now in the Far East is Vice Admiral Will liam A. Glassford, Jr, commander of the U. s. naval forces, southwest Pacific. These forces formerly constituted the U. s. Asiatic fleet and were under Hart's command until he became the supreme com mander of all the Allied forces in the southwest Pacific.
 Glassford will operate under Vice Admiral Helfrich. Helfrich also is the supreme commander of the Netherlands East Indian navy.
 Only on last Saturday the navy formally announced that Hart had been named commander of the com- bined naval forces in the ABDA area. Actually, however, he had been exercising this command for some Weeks-since President RooSe- welt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill set up the supreme com- mand in the southwest Pacific area with British General Sir Archibald P. Wavell at the top and Hart the combined naval commander under Wavell.
 Little was known here about Vice Admiral Helfrich except that he had spent most of his life in con- mand of Dutch naval vessels in both | European and Far Eastern waters. He was born in Semarang, Java, | in October, 1886.
 Far East Commander
 Washington, Feb. 11-(UP)-The ! new commander -chief of allied l nations naval forces in the Far East, Adimral c. E. L. Helfrich, has | spent most of his career in Nether- lands Indies waters.
 The successor to U. s. Admiral | Thomas C. Hart is regarded as one | of the best informed men on the | Nethel lands Indies. He is round- | faced, quiet Dutchman, who on oc- casioIs speaks his mind.
 Five years ago he delivered a | blunt speech in Singapore before a group of BritonS. He declared that i the British would be expected to aid the Dutch if Sumatra were in- Vaded He received a mild rebuke 1 for his frank expressions at the time.
 Helfrich. who was born in Java | in 1886, is a veteran of the sea and | particularly of the southwest Pa cific.
 He was trained at the naval col | lege of Den fielder, The Nether- lands, from which he was graduated | in 1907. He obtained his first null | tiple command after study at the | the naval staff school at The Hague | when he was placed in charge of division of destroyers ill The | Netherlands Indies. Subsequently he was appointed I commander of the entire squadron of the Dutch archipelago
 Named in 1940
 He was appointed to the post of | commander in-chief of The Nether- lands East Indies navy in January, | 1940. The entire Dutch fleet was sent to the east at that time.
 Hart, native of Genesse county, | Mich, became commander -chief | of the Asiatic fleet on July 25, 1889. | | U. S units were active under his | command in whiting down units of the Japanese naval and merchant | fleets, notably in the Macassar strait engagement.
 Prior to his command of the Asiatic fleet, Hart was chairman of the navy general board from De- 1 cember l, 1886, to May 3l, l939 His i previous sea duty was as commander | of cruisers of the scouting force and l of cruiser division five. Hart was praised for his feat in | taking the Asiatic fleet out of Cavite ! naval base before the fall of Manila. 1