Evening star., 1945-11-14
British Beat Back
Three Indonesian
Suicide Attacks
japanese Commander and
Chief Of Stoff Accused
Of Giving Rebels Arms
BY the Associated Press.

BATAVIA, Nov. 14.-Fighting
ragged with unabated fury in
Soerabaja today, and in Batavia
British Maj. Gen. D. C.. Hawthorn
accused the commander of the
Japanese 18th Army and his chief
of staff of having deliberately
handed over arms to "unruly ele-
ments" in Java.
A dispatch from Associated Press
Correspondent Vern Haugland In
Soerabaja said British Indian troops
battling in the heart of the naval
base hurled back three suicidal In
donesian attacks during the night,
killing more than 100 and sustaining
half dozen casualties of their own
in fighting for the Kota railroad sta
ton and marshalling yards. The
British threw a 25-pounder barrage
against the Indonesians entrenched
in pre-war Dutch-built pillboxes In
the area.
Mr.. Haugland reported that the
British were moving slowly In order
to keep their casualties low, and
that 1t might take the better part of
this week to clear out the remaining
hall. Of Soerabaja still In Nationalist
hands.
Many Armed With Spears.
A reliable unofficial estimate
placed the number Of Indonesians
opposing the British in Soerabaja at
between 5000 and $4,000 men, in
cluding many armed with spears.
In the capital the two japanese
generals accused of the unauthor-
lied surrender of their arms were
bundled of by plane to Singapore to
face charges.
Gen. Hawthorn administered q
verbal lashing to the two officers
1t. Gen. Yiuchiro Nagano and his
chief of staff, Maj Gen. Moichirc
Yamamoto, at a formal surrender
ceremony, held a full six weeks after
the arrival Of British troops. The
Japanese generals surrendered their
swords to Gen. Hawthorn, who il
commander of the 23d Indian Di-
vision.
Action Directed by Mountbatten.
At the surrender ceremony in Ba-
tavia, Nagano stood with bowed
head as Gen. Hawthorne told him he
would be flown to Singapore where
his conduct in Java would be "thor-
oughly investigated" He said this
action was directed by Admiral Lord
Louis Mountbatten, Allied Southeast
Asia commander.
"You have, in my opinion, de-
liberately and .dishonorably failed tc
carry out the terms Of surrender
imposed upon your nation by the Al
lied powers" he told the generals in
statement interpreted to them
He accused them of slrrendering te
unauthorized persons" and handing
over arms to "unruly elements In
this country, thus enabling them te
cause bloodshed and loss of life te
Allied troops under my command
Nagano and Yamamoto then were
driven from Gen. Hawthorn's head
quarters to an airport and were
placed aboard q plane which tool
of for Singapore. Maj. Gen. Junji
Nakamura, another 18th Army stafl
officer, was flown to Singapore II
the same plane.
Fight From PilIboxes.
Indonesian Nationalists at Soc.
rabaja continued to put up stub.
born resistance to steadily advanc.
ing Indian troops even as the ney
Indonesian Premier, Sutan Sjahrir
prepared to 60 there in an attemp1
to bring about a cessation of hostili.
ties.
The Nationalists fought from pre-.
war, Dutch-built concrete pillboxe.
and air-raid shelters in the hear
Of the city against advancing 5tl
Indian Division troops, last reportet
driving on government building
still In native hands. RAF plane
(See INDONESIA, Page A-l8.5