Evening star., 1942-02-20
Enemy Worships
And 7 transports
Suffer Hits
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BATAVIA, Netherlands Indies,
Feb. 20.-Japanese forces today
invaded the Dutch island Of Bali,
| mile from the eastern tip OF
Java, giving ominous form to its
multiple front offensive in the
Southwest Pacific as threat to
isolate the United Nations forces
in Java If not to bypass that
stronghold for a direct attack on
Australia.
The waters around Bali, a Dutch
colonial paradise where war mao
heen little more than a fable OF
the white men, were threshed by
the torpedoes, bombs and shells OF
warships and warplanes as the
United Nations closed in an appar-
emily unsuccessful battle to bar the
strong sea-borne invasion force from
the cleaning beaches OF Bali.
The defenders again were exact
ing a heavy price for the japanese
attack, but evidently not heavy
enough. japanese landing parties
svarmed from their transports and
cut through the surf with their
landing barges, despite the counter
blows of Allied air and surface craft
and submarines.
Direct Hits Scored.
The defenders scored direct oomo
lite an one or more Japanese
cruisers and three transports ana
eight near misses on destroyer,
according to an early communique
of the United Nations. Four Jap,
anese fighters were shot down ana
the defending air force returned 10
base intact.
United Nations warships and SUD-
marines had opened the counter
attack last night on the INVASION
. forces concentrated in waters
around Bali. The 2095-square mile
island is separated from easternmoSe
Java. at it's nearest point by mile
wide strait. 1t Is only about 120
miles from Bali to Java's big Soera-
baja naval base.
A Dutch communique SAID sue
cinctly:
I'm connection with enemy &C.
ton directed against BAH, vita!
points on Bali have been DESTROYED
and naturally strong action Is oelng
taken against landings which the
enemy is carrying out"
May Be Move to Outfiank Java.
The Dutch news agency, Aneta,
said "the presence of the japanese
warcraft and troopships off BAH
NAV indicate the expected enemy at
tempt to invade Java
II it was not that, or at least a
feint to facilitate attack in another
quarter. it suggested especially In
conjunction with the Timor opera
tions) a bold attempt to outhanK
Java for an invasion lunge at North
ern Australia, centering perhaps on
Darwin, naval base-capital OF Aus
tralias northern territory.
Coinciding with the heavy raids
on Darwin, Australia, the japanese
struck at Java's naval base and air
fields. Ten japanese planes-f1ve
bonbers and five fighters-were shot
down during Wednesdays and yes
terday's raids at Soerabaja, 1t was
announced by the United Nations
headquarters for the Southwest Pa
ciflc, which is situated somewhere IN
Java.
Airdromes Targets Yesterday.
Expeditionary forces of the United
Nations, including American and
Australian troops, have moved to
battle stations in that rich, central
island of the Indies.
The daily Dutch communique said
results of japanese air raids yester-
day on several parts OF Java were
"inversely proportional to the Ell
fort expanded and ION the whole
material losses we're unimportant
and very few persons were killed"
The Japanese appeared to have con-
centrated on airdromes, the tactlcal
preliminary to invasion.
In defense of airdromes near Bul-
tenzorg. and Bandoeng, the COM
muniuue said, four interceptor planes
we're shot down by the japanese,
but only one of the pilots was killed.
One japanese plane was downed for
certain and two others were prob
ably destroyed. Other airdromes. in
the Oosthoek (east corner) region
of the land, were machine gunned.
Have Springboard Bases.
A foothold for the Japanese on
Bali would put the Japanese on
land only one mile from their chief
goal in their East Indies invasion
this citadel island of Java which is
separated from Bali only by shall
low channel.
The japanese thus would be i'm
planted on springboard bases flank
ing Java from Bali on the east,
Sumatra on the west and Celebes
and Borneo on the north.
Bali, a mountainous island OF
2095 square miles, is populated by
100000 Indonesians who are the
most expert rice growers of the
Indies archipelago. 1t has only 400
European inhabitants.