The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-02-05
JAP BOMBERS
RAID NAVAL BASE
Continued from Page y

positions in the southeastern part
of the island where they continued
resistance.
Oil Supplies Destroyed
All oil installations at Balik Papan
had been destroyed.
It was feared that some missing
men might be trapped, the COM
munique indicated.
The communicate said that the
little yacht-like Netherlands mine
layer Prins Van Oranje, 1,291 tons,
must be assumed not to have sue
ceeded" in escaping from Tarakan,
the rich oil island off the Borneo
coast, when the japanese attacked
there.
There was no detailed word, the
high command said, from Amboina
island, naval and air force base east
of Celebes, but it was known that
Netherlands troops continued fight
ing stoutly.
Authoritative sources said that
Japan had failed in it's immediate
objective in bombing Soerabaja and
other towns.
The bombingS were probably de-
signed in part to damage the
Soerabaja naval and air base and
possibly to bomb Gen. Sir Archibald
Wavells United Nations headuuar-
ters, it was admitted.
But authoritative informants said
expert analysis of the japanese at
tack plan showed that they hoped
by bombing and machine cunning
the business area of Soerabaja and
attacking military detectives, to
terrify the people and cause panic
throughout the island.
Objective Failed
Dispatches OF the Netherlands In
dies news agency showed that this
objective had failed dismally.
Both at Soerabaja and at other
places, including tiny native villages
whose people were machine gunned
as they returned to the ruins OF
their bombed homes, civilian morale
has remained high, dispatches said.
A dispatch from Bintan island, in
the Riouw islands just off Sirga-
pore, said that the morale of the
islanders was high there also, after
several bombings which they shared
with Singapore island. The island
ers reported that they had sufficient
food but had no tobacco
Terrorization Of native popula-
tons in the Indies would disrupt
the entire defense system because
the native labor supply is necessary
to industry and agriculture.
1t was understood that the gov
eminent was considering the posi-
bllity Of recruiting labor hat.x ions
II the Japanese continued their at
tacks for long time and that labor
might be offered such inducements
as bonus payments, group insurance
against air raid losses and insurance
against injury OF death.
Will BE Slaughtered
Batavia, Feb. = CU.P.) = Dutch
men who destroyed oil wells and in
stallations at Balik Papan in East
Borneo we're advised by the Japan
csc that they would be slaughtered
If captured, it was learned today.
When the Japanese occupied Ia
rakan they discovered that the wells
and oil tanks had been destroyed.
Thereupon the Japanese commander
ordered hostages to carry to the
Dutch commander at Balik Papan
his ultimatum that he and his
Dutch soldiers would be put to
death If they damaged wells there
Blenheim B0mbers Busy
Rangoon, Feb. - (U.P) -Blen-
helm bombers reared along the tur-
bulent Salween river today In new
series OF attacks on Japanese troops
concentrating at Pam, 80 miles
north of Moulmein, for what may be
their main attempt to cross the
stream and launch q drive on the
Burma road
The bombers attacked twice dur