Show Ili Destroy Jap Invasion Fleet 1 Y r NIPPON FORCES IN BALI FACING DEA DEATH BATTLE TILE Nati Nations Nations' United Nations u ns Bombers Sink Transport v By y CLYDE A. A War Editor j Associated Press I t tAt At a cost of all but one ship of f their invasion armada according ac ac- p ac cording to the Dutch the Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa- Japa nese have overrun part of t they the e island of Bali on on the east flanks of the United Nations' Nations JaVa island stronghold seizing an airdrome there within within 2 20 bomber miles of now the No 1 naval base of the de- de fenders But this was a tenuous s foothold foothold foot foot- hold one which might readily be wiped out if enough of the military military mili- mili tary strength in Java primarily Java primarily primarily- Dutch colonial troops bolstered by American and Australian expeditions could could s safely fely be diverted f forthe forthe for for- r. r the task It was possible too that there were enough troops already on on Bali they Bali they have been in action n since last Friday when the he invasion inva inv sion Zion started started to to wipe out the thein thein- thein in- in k No one could say however r wh whether ther the Japanese had a a sec second nd expedition under under way either to to support rt th the Bali BaU position or using it as a feint to strike Java in another another another an an- other quarter Undoubtedly ly the Japanese would try to capitalize on their airdrome position for the landing of f borne air troops but it seemed unlikely that the field had been left intact for such immediate immediate- use Thus for the first time in the new Pacific war a sizable Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese expeditionary force was exposed exposed exposed ex ex- posed to annihilation annihilation temporarily ily at least Having teamed up with warships in the smashing of an invasion armada in the battle of Bali United United Unit ed States and Dutch planes operating operating operating oper oper- alone were reported Monday to have dealt a blow at the Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese offensive toward the other end of the stronghold island of Java setting fire to a big transport and strafing other ships in strait Bombers Sink Transport The new attack was delivered mainly by dive-bombers dive about miles northwest pf of Batavia and off southern Sumatra The stricken transport was a ship of more than tons fons according to a United Nations announcement It said also that four Japanese planes were were d downed wn d in attacks Sunday on Java airfields Coinciding with the dive bomb ing assault the United Nations Nation irmen kin ir men machine-gunned machine other ships A Authorities in Batavia as well as the Netherlands government in exile at London joined in te tempered claims of a victory over the invasion invasion invasion inva inva- sion fleet It was the London government which said that only one Japanese ship escaped t tion o and and that by flight Jap Fleet Battered The fleet of warships and transports transports trans trans- ports which the Japanese sent against Bali Ball appe d to have been pounded to pieces cy by the running attack of f Dutch and American warships and planes in Balis close waters It would not be incompatible with such a drubbing at sea for numbers of the sea borne troops to have won xon land positions before their ships were blast blasted d behind them However it Would be assumed assumed assumed as as- that thousands thousands' of Japanese troops got no closer to Bali than its shark-infested shark waters Th The first goal of if th the landing parties seems seems' to have been Den- Den mc the southern coast of Bali This was ac acknowledged acknowledged acknowledged ac- ac today to be In the ene ene- myr hands Acknowledging partial success of f the Japanese lunge at Bali BaU a a. Batavia announcement said On the other hand a strong allied allie naval and air offensive against the Japanese expeditionary fleet was so successful that Hot not Hota nota a single warship or transport re remaIned remained remained re- re near Bali to give the Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese troops support or supplies Details of Japanese losses In Inthis inthis inthis this action still are not complete but they are understood to have been considerable If the enemy is to exploit his Continued d on Page Pace Five Column Out One L E ALLIES ULLIES A SMASH t INVASION FLEET Continued from Page One fOOthold foothold he must get through a afresh afresh afresh fresh invasion force The e Netherlands government in London declared that the greater part of the original invasion armada ar- ar mada aimed at Bali Ball had been destroyed de de- destroyed de Etroy d or badly damaged by by JY and United States planes I i ind and nd warships I Javas Java's peril nevertheless was grave eve Dutch land forces evidently evident evident- I ly Iy were fighting no more than a I I delaying action in southern Sumatra Sumatra Sumatra Su Su- SuI matra to guard the wide mile water jump at the western end of Java At the other end of the elongated island Bali is separated from the Java shore only by a one mile strait Land forces which count mt both r f United States and Australian expeditions expeditions ext ex ex- were in battle positions t I- I Java shared its prime strategic I Importance in the far Pacific only r E I with Burma the gateway to In- In f dia Java is next to Australia as the ithe l. l the last line of defense against Japans Japan's southward conquest Defenders Battle attle Bravely ely f While hiIe both fronts needed reins reinI reinforcement rein rein- s I the defenders fought t courageously and derived some comfort from a variety of steps around the globe in concert against t the axis powers On the Bataan peninsula Philippine Philippine Philippine Phil Phil- I where General Douglas MacArthur and his outnumbered outnumbered outnumbered out- out numbered forces have been fighting fighting fighting fight fight- ing a delaying action fighting was reported to have died down aground and in the air with a similar up let-up in the duel between the Manila bay forts and Japanese shore batteries Japanese warplanes attempted to soften the aerial defenses of Java Ja in air raids during the week weekend weekend weekend end but the Dutch said their airmen airmen air- air men with ith allied fliers shot down at least eight and perhaps 10 Japanese bombers and fighters Their air posts remained intact Burma Battle attle Continues f The battle for Burma went along at full tilt throughout a aVide wide Vide area between the and Bilin rivers rivers riv riv- ers rs with the British Sunday falling falling falling fall fall- ing back slowly upon the last natural defense line protecting protect protect- ing the Burma supply line to China o The Japanese reported the capture capture cap- cap ture tore of the town of on the southern Bali coast E I Japanese news agency reported that the Japanese in I southern Sumatra west of Java had occupied an important railway center just north DOrth of the chief port of southern Sumatra which looked across the strait to Java I A dispatch from Saigon French Indo-China Indo said Japanese planes supporting the Burma fighting bombed the Burmese town of about 50 miles north of Rangoon on the railway connecting with the Burma road r F Japanese imperial headquarters Ala In Tokyo announced that its planes shot r shot down or destroyed on the ground 39 enemy aircraft in expensive ex- ex pensive week end fighting over Java and Burma One Japanese plane was acknowledged missing land and nd another was heavily damaged |