Evening star., 1945-11-25
British Ready 10 Hur|
Rocket lifted Planes
Against Indonesians
By the Associated Press.

BATAVIA, Nov. 24.-Th,
British virtually completed cap
ture of Soerabaja tonight, bu
were battling powerful Indone
sian forces in at'least two othe,
areas of Java and were reported
to have set the torch to nativ,
settlements in one locality II
retaliation for mutilation of cap
tured British troops.
The latter measure, coupled with
a disclosure that the British were
ready to 60 into action tomorrow
with rocket-fitted Mosquito bomb.
ers, indicated the British were
adopting a stern attitude as a result
of wave massacres during the past
few days.
The incidents which were said to
have aroused British anger included
the Staying and dismembering of rs
occupants of a transport plane
which wa$< forced down, the mas
sacre of II Gurkhas guarding a
supply train enroute from Batavia
to Bandoene, and the killing or
wounding of 80 women and children
in an internment camp.
Tanks Blast Natives.
Heavy fighting was reported in
Central Java at Semarang and AM
barawa. In Soerabaja the British
! blasted Indonesian positions with
Sherman tanks to advance more
than a mile in the 2-week-old battle
. for the big naval base.
The new gains placed the British
in control of Soerabaja's prosperous
residential area of Simpang and left
only the southern suburb Of Darmo
to be taken.
A captured Indonesian lieutenant
estimated Nationalist casualties in
the Soerabaja fighting at around
5000
The burning of native settlements
was ordered by a British brigadier,
the Dutch news agency Ameta re-
ported, after searching party
found the mutilated bodies Of five
RAF crew members and 20 Indian
soldiers whose plane had crash
landed yesterday six miles from
Batavia.
Other Cases Of Brutality.
At the same time, British authori-
ties officially disclosed what they
described as instances of brutality
by both the Indonesians and by
Dutch and Amboinese forces.
British 1t. Col. H c. G. Harding,
provost marshal, said the Indone-
slams had stormed a civilian intern
ment camp at Ambarava before
the arrival of British troops and
"butchered women and children"
He said the Nationalists, armed with
rifles, pistols, swords and grenades,
had left nine persons dead, three
dying and 20 wounded, including
children 3 to 10 years old
Col. Harding's report also asserted
that so Indonesian police were shot
down in cold blood by Dutch and
Amboinese, when units of the 10th
Dutch Battalion attacked the In
donesian central police station in
Batavia few days ago.
British Maj. Gen. D. c. Harthorn
hurried to Semarang, where thou
sands of armed 1ndonesians were
repulsed yesterday with the help
Of artillery and naval gunfire.
The British>reported the situation
now in hand.
Japanese troops, under British
command, were assigned to clear the
eastern half of Semarang, British
officers said, while Indians cleaned
up the western half. Later Japa-
nese units were reported by the
British to have been given the task
of clearing native settlements east
Of Semarang.
The British said the japanese
were doing an excellent job.
CHUNGKING, Sunday Nov. 25
Pl.-China ambassadors to Lon
don and The Hague have been in
structed to make fresh representa-
tions to the British and Dutch gov
ernments to afford adequate pro-
lection" of the lives and property
of Chinese nationals in the Neither
lands Indies.