Evening star., 1945-07-06
Flaming Refinery Act,
As Guide for Troops
0verrunning Borneo
Australians Plunge on
Toward SoIt Marsh Oil
Fields of Sumurindo
BY tht Associated press.


MANILA, July 6.-AuStraliar
invaders today pushed across
heavily mined areas toward the
last remaining Japanese-held
oil field in Southeast Borneo
guided by the towering fires OF
Koealasambodja, large refinery
and pumping station put to the
torch by retreating japanese.
The battle-hardened 7th Austral-
ian Infantry occupied the remain
ing Japanese-held part of Balik-
papan yesterday, overran Manggal
Airfield in smile advance to the
northeast and plunged on toward
the great salt marsh oilfields of the
Samarinda district.
The Samarinda fields are approxi-
mately SIS air miles northeast OF
Balikpapan, now a giant junk pile Of
burned and blasted refinery equip
ment and oil pipes.
15,000 Landed, Japs Say.
Koealasambodja, on the pipeline
approximately halfway between
BaIikpapan and Samarinda, is or
the coast
(The Tokyo radio said today
the Allies had poured ashore
$1,000 men by Wednesday. 1t
claimed the japanese garrison
had inflicted 1000 casualties up
TO Tuesday, but Allied sources
had reported casualties as light.
(The enemy broadcast report
ed daily straflng of japanese
positions by an average of $50
fighter and bomber planes, with
persistent" night naval bonn
bardment. Tokyo claimed that
despite furious Allied attacks the
garrison was fighting spiritedlyD
Pitted and cratered roads from
Uttered bombardments, BOBBY trap
and land mines left by the retreat
ing enemy constituted most of tn
hazards encountered by the hard
driving Australians as they doggedl.
expanded their invasion area.
y Two A1rDaSeS won.
| THE capture of Manggar with it
tSs 4,000-foot runways gave tn,
All es control of the only worth
whIe airbases in the Balikpapar
are; Sepinggang airstrip, alread,
in Sc by the Australians, fell earl,
thJ week.
American mineSweeperS were bus,
? earring Balikpapan Bay, where two
Army engineer LCM boats earlier
steamed through the mines to Sc
up repair shops.
Columns of Aussies swept through
the main industrial and dock area!
of the port, then smashed remain
ing japanese in the PandanSari re.
finery region on the left flank an(
sloshed through the swampy Pan
dansari River to the native quarter
of the town. A flanking movemen
from the ridges to the north knocked
out Japanese field pieces which hat
been shelling the advancing diggers
Warships Blast Japs.
Y AS the main Southeast Bornet
force of japanese retreated towart
the oil fields up the coast, they wer'
subjected to ground pressure by Aus
tralian tanks and artillery ant
harassed from the air by ALI I'd tao,
tical planes which closely supported
all phases of the operations. Gum
of the fleet joined in blasting Jap
anese inland positions and the re.
treating columns.
The 1000 japanese civilians VIII,
were in the town before the in
vasion had fled, but evidence O
their life of luxury was encounteret
in the residential areas. Associated
Press War Correspondent Russell
Brines said in dispatch from tn,
front most we're thought to be flee
ling with the military into the OF
fields.
On the northwest coast, Aussi
9th Division troops seized an enem,
ammunition dump on the Tank,
River. 7 miles northeast OF cap
itured Miri.