Evening star., 1944-10-04
Vital Jap Oil Center
On Borneo Blasted by
81 American Bombers
1y the Associated Press.

~ 'he ASboClAttQ Press,
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
New Guinea, Oct. big, four.
engined Liberators, in the long.
est mass raid ever made in The
southwest Pacific, have opened
a drive to wipe out Japan's big
source OF aviation gasoline ano
luorlcating oils at Balikpapan
on Borneo, Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur disclosed today.
More than go bombers dealt a
crippling blow Saturday, battled 81
zeros for more than an hour, weaved
through skies filled with bursting
ack ack and all but three got back
some badly shot up, some with gas
tanks almost empty. ao
But their "a tons of bombs, carried
from advance bases which make
possible repeated raids. caused
heavy destruction at what Gen.
Macarthur described as "the most
lucrative. strategic target in the
Pacific
Supplies Crippled.
"The Japs won't be turning out
much aviation gasoline at Balik-
papan for Jap zeros for awhile, !"
enthusiastically reported two squad
ron leaders, 1t Hollis Chase, Larch-
mont. N. Y, and 1t. Donald E.
Bone, Garland, Utah.
Forty bomb hits were counted on
the power plant and refraction
towers of the 5000, 600 barrel capac-
ity Pandansari refinery by airmen
of the Bomber Barons." s@
Gen. MacArthur's communicate
pointed out that the destruction of
Balikpapan would curtail drastic
ally and Immediately the enerny's
capacity to wage air and naval war
and to move essential cargo"
During the bitter sky fighting.
parachuting American airmen of
one mortally wounded Liberator
were strafed by Zero machine guns
as they drifted down, a spokesman
said.
7 ZerOs Shot Down.
Seven Zeros were shot down;
others were damaged.
Huge fires swept the refinery area,
sending up smoke for 5000 feet.
Bomb hits were scored on a 1000
ton ship in the harbor.
The advance of our bomber line
now has made possible heavy bomber
attacks on Balikpapan," the COM
munique stated.
(The takeof point was not
specified, but Gen. Macarthur is
known to have bomber bases in
the Schouten Islands off Dutch
New Guinea within 1900 miles of
Balikpapan. From his most ad-
vanced base at Morotai in the
HalmaheraS, his planes are less
than 1000 miles away
The Japanese sent up medium
bombers to fly on the flanks of the
unescorted Liberators to provide
antiaircraft batters with the range.
Returning flyers told Fred Hampson,
Associated Press war correspondent,
lit was the heaviest ack ack we
ever few through
Philippines Also Hit.
Some Liberators landed with
scarcely enough gasoline left to taxi
to their revetments.
Gen. Macarthur also reported a
lucrative strike Sunday by one Navy
Liberator at zamboanga, Southern
Philippines. 1t destroyed or damaged
seven seaplanes, a large flying boat,
three parked bombers and a fuel
laden coastal vessel.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz's COM
Slast night said the Japa- |
nese were holding out tenaciously al
Bloody Nose Ridge" on Peleliu and
at one isolated point on Angaur,
islands in the invaded Palaus. Be-
traying concern over American use
Of Peleliu Airfield. within bomber
range of the Philippines, an enemy
plane raided it Sunday but its bombs
fell in an adjacent swamp.
Admiral Nimitz also reported a !
3l-ton strike at bypassed Truk by
Llberators, two of which were dam
aged by ack ack.