Evening star., 1942-12-28
Allied Airmen Down
33 laps in Drive From
Burma 10 So|omons
At Least Four Ships
Damaged, Eight or
More Bases Bombed
AMERICANS BOMB JAPANESE
landing supplies to Guadal-
canal forces by parachute.
Story on Page Az.

AMEHlCANO 6OMb JAPANESE
landing supplies to Guadal-
canal forces by parachute.
Story on Page Az.
BY the Associated Press.
Allied air power, on the often
sive across the Southwest Pacific
from Burma to the Solomon Is
lands, was credited today with
knocking down 33 to SO japanese
airplanes, damaging at least four
ships and bombing eight or more
japanese bases in weekend at
tackS.
These underlined the grim warm
ing which the japanese people were
given by their premier and war
minister. Gen. Hideki TOTO, that
"the real war is starting from now"
TOTO. in an address to the Diet,
said Japan faced hard military
problems at the outposts of her far
stretched warfront and declared
Japan was busy day and night pro-
viding against air raids and pre-
pairing for future war develop
ments"
He mentioned the Aleutians,
Burma, the Solomons and New
Guinea as scenes of potential Unit
ed Nations counteroffensives and
estimated that the Allies had 1,000,-
900 troops and 600 aircraft in India.
Privations in Aleutians Cited.
TOTO declared reinforcement and
supply of japanese forces on Quad
alcanal had become extremely
difficult" and added that "the pri-
vations and difficulties which Jap
anese troops have to endure in the
Aleutian Islands are unimaginable. "
One of the heaviest blows against
the japanese in the air was dealt by
American Lockheed Lightnings in
the skies above the Buna coastal
battlefront in New Guinea.
Outnumbered more than three to
one, II of the swift American pur-
suit planes engaged force of Is
fighters and Is bombers. A COM
munique from Allied headquarters
in Australia said the Lightnings shot
down Is planes-l3 fighters and 2
bombers. None of the Lightnings
was lost, and only one was listed as
damaged.
Allied medium bombers shot down
three other japanese fighters in
this section and anti-aircraft fire
downed another.
Other Allied bombers heavily dam
aged l5,000-ton transport and set
three cargo vessels afire at Rabaul,
New Britain.
Ground Forces Gain at Buna.
Also attacked by Allied planes were
enemy warehouses at Madang and
Finschhafen, near Vitiaz Strait in
Northeastern New Guinea; supply
depots and road transport near
Laval, in Timor; the airdrome at
Cape Gloucester and a schooner in
Jacquinot Bay, New Britain.
Allied ground forces were said to
have made gains on both flanks of
the last heavily fortified japanese
lines at Buna.
The Chinese air defense head
quarters at Running said eight of
81 japanese bombers were shot down
yesterday in a new raid on Yunnan
Province.
Brig. Gen. Claire L. Chennault' s
American Flying Dragon fighter
pilots also we're said to have downed
seven, perhaps 10, of 18 japanese
planes which attempted to attack an
American air base Saturday after
noon.
American bombers attacked Jap
anese advanced bases in Yunnan
Province, just across the Chinese
border from Burma, and the RAF,
striking from India, bombed a Jap
anese airdrome at Heho in central
Burma.
Japs Raid Calcutta Again.
japanese planes raided Calcutta
again this morning, but damage was
described as slight. The British said
there were fewer than 10 casualties.
The Toxic radio said Allied planes
bombed and machine gunned Bang
kok. capital of Thailand, early yes
terday morning.
Premier Tojo's warning to the
Japanese people was sugared some
what by fiamboyant Japanese claims
that the American. British and
Netherlands navies have lost 80 per
cent of their ships. TOTO declared
Japan has been strengthened by re-
ceiving from conquered areas l 800, :
900 tons of raw materials, or 70 per
cent more than the country's needs
for a whole year.
Claims Greatly Exaggerated
Naval Minister Admiral Shigetaro
Shimada advanced the claims Of
heavy Allied naval losses-obviously
(see OFFENSIVE, Page A-I2.)