The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-04

said to be in Dutch hands after the Japanese had been showed back. The Dutch were fighting to drive the enemy entirely from the town.
 The situation at Soebang is strongly in hand" the Aneta News Agency reported, and infiltrating Japanese soldiers have been largely rounded up or shot.
 Japs Fail to Regain
 The Japanese also had failed in efforts to regain all of the seven miles in the sector from which they were driven on Tuesday, but when visited that area today Dutch soldiers turned us back because the infiltration tactics of the enemy had been renewed in greater strength.
 On other fronts the fighting was on fluid lines that made 1t difficult to determine exact positions. The Aneta News Agency said that the situation was uncertain in the Ban- tam sector of northwest Java, where demolition operations already have been undertaken at Batavia as a precautionary measure.
 There was no definite word In re- gard to Japanese operations on the central front, where the enemy has been trying to cut the island of Java in two, or from the Rembang sector where the enemy is slashing toward the SoerabaJa naval base.
 The Japanese attack on the Ban doeng airdroine was carried out by 25 Japanese planes, while other en- emy craft were busy over mid Java. A column of smoke arose from Bandoeng airfield following the raid, during which Dutch anti aircraft guns and Dutch fighter planes went into action.
 I visited the front today with a British correspondent, taking the same road followed yesterday. We advanuced almost as far as we did yesterday but then Dutch soldiers told us to turn back because of the increased danger.
 Fighting for the plantation center that l had approached yesterday was still raging without definite de- cision. Dutch infantry was at- tempting to penetrate the town on one side while another Dutch force attacked 1t from the opposite direc- tion, seeking to put pincers on the Japanese inside the town.
 Dutch Batter Forward
 The Dutch were battering forward but certain units were being with drawn from the action.
 There was one bright side to the picture I saw. Allied infantry forces seemed to be keeping the Japanese confined to the plantation town and preventing enemy forays.
 A Dutch division commander told me he was recognizing his forces for big assault designed to take the town. saw Australians moving up in trucks to join in the attack. An American artillery unit, Texas outfit under Lieut. Go. T. 8. Tharp is reported operating on nearby sector but was unable to visit that area today.
 Japanese bombers and fighters made the highway I followed un- comfortable throughout the day, but I saw only one Dutch tank knocked out by air attack.
 I saw one ambulance car riddled with bullets but 1t was still going.
 We travelled at one time with a convoy but hurriedly left 1t when we discovered 1t was an ammunition convoy.
 Soldiers returning from the front lines said that the Japanese soldiers they had encountered were poor marksmen compared to the Dutch Indonesian rihemen, who killed many enemy snlpers. One big Japa- nese advantage, however, is their 1O-ton tanks as compared to the light Dutch vehicles. There have not been any real tailk-against-tank battles so far in the sectors wis., tied.
 How He Killed Jap
 An Ambonese soldier-they are among the best of the native troops told me through an interpreter how he killed one Japanese, who apparently had vainly tried to per- sllade the native soldier not to re- sist.
 '@This Japanese in khaki shorts was hiding behind a bush," the sole dier said.
 q was behind another bush. The