Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-02-20 | Page 2 | Dutch Staff Officers Believe 200 Fighter Planes, for Which Idle Pilots Pray, Would Save Java

i Dutch Staff Officers Believe Fighter Planes For Which Idle Pilots Pro Pre y Would Save Java By HAROLD GUARD AT THE SUNDA STRAITS Western Java Feb 20 UP UPI UP- UP I stood at the westernmost extremity extremity extremity ex ex- of Java Friday and looked across 15 miles of water toward toward the Japanese-held Japanese Sumatra Sumatra Sumatra Su Su- Su- Su matra shore There was a sinking feeling In my stomach which I am sure was not entirely hunger The Japanese stand at the Sunda straits in Sumatra They also stand on Bali THe pattern of their tactics is conforming to anticipations and Java obviously is next Riding with Dutch staff cers on a mile tour of western western western west west- ern Java the conversation centered centered cen cen- largely on the air disparity disparity disparity dis dis- dis- dis parity under which the united nations' nations fight is being waged The Netherlands officers believed believed believed be be- that more fighter planes planes for for which idle pilots are praying would praying would turn the tide in Java They regard Java as the first battleground of the Australian campaign The talk turned to three cities Hong Kong Manila and Singapore Sing Sing- with with the distinct feeling that Rangoon w will be next on the Japanese list The dauntless Dutch swore that no city of Java would be added to Japans Japan's score On the causeway at the westernmost point in Java I talked with some of the Dutch and British troops who were evacuated from Sumatra Thursday Thursday Thursday Thurs Thurs- day after their short-lived short ef efforts efforts ef ef- forts to defend and their destruction of billions of guilders' guilders worth of oil and oil wells I talked with the ranking officers officers officers of of- of the Dutch high com com- mand They conceded that anything anything anything any any- thing ma may happen at a any y time now