SIGNIFICANCE OF BOMBER FEAT

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 173, 18 April 1942, Page 7

SIGNIFICANCE OF BOMBER FEAT

MacArthur’s Strategy HOPE OF CUTTING THE ENEMY TRAIL

Value Of Burma As Base

CANBERRA, April 16.

It is reported that the whole plan of the American air attack on the Philippines on Monday and Tuesday was worked out by General MacArthur, and that 110 tons of bombs were dropped. Senior Ministers in Canberra see in the attack the first sign of the tide of war turning against Japan.

Brigadier-General Royce, who commanded the attacking force, said at the Allied beadquarters today that the vital spot to hit the Japanese was Burma. If the Allies could get sufficient planes into Burma and strike across into China they could cut the Japanese trail from the Philippines southward with long-range bombers. He made it clear that he had not taken an actual part in the raid on the Philippines, but had set himself up as a one-man headquarters and tried to maintain communication with the bomber crews by courier. Synchronized With Troops. General Royce said all the raids were in the daytime between 5000 and 2000 feet. The attacks on Davao were timed to synchronize With an attack by American land forces. Japanese troop concentrations at dawn on Monday received a terrific pounding from the air and ground artillery, something for which they had not bargained. The raids covered a full iieriod of 48 hours, but it was not till the second day that opposition developed, which was easily overcome.' Anti-air-craft fire over Davao, however, was both heavy and accurate. The American bomber lost had made a forced landing, and the crew was rescued. The raids obviously threw the Japanese into a terrific panic, General Royce said. “You can imagine their bewilderment when suddenly, out of the sky, there appeared a big bunch of bombers, which let loose everything on top of them. “They did not know where the bombers came from, and their radio used up all the ether on the whole of Monday trying to find out whence we came and a means of stopping us.” Many Evacuees. It was also reyealed today that the evacuees who were brought back to bases somewhere in Australia included Mr. Frank Hewlett, correspondent of the United Press in Batan and Corregidor; Mr. Nat Floyd, “Manila Bulletin” and “New York Times” correspondent; Lieutenant-Colonel Chi Wong, liaison officer between the Chinese Army and the Batan forces; Colonel Charles Backen, United States Air Force, chief of the Philippine Army Air Corps, who was to a large extent responsible for the splendid training of this small unit; Colonel Fisher, of the United States Army, who was assigned to the Philippines during the operations' there; Lieutenant-Colonel Kinnard; and Captain Villamor. The last-mentioned is ■ one of the crack pilots of the United States Air Force. He was decorated for leading a flight in which six antiquated planes attacked 26 modern Japanese bombers. Captain Moore, Captain Thorne, Captain Whitfield, Lieutenant Weinart, Lieutenant Garrity, Lieutenant Conley, all of whom are members of the United States Air Force, also returned. In addition, there were several members of the signal corps, three bombardiers, and five navigators. The United States authorities are not prepared to say why these men were collected for evacuation beyond the remark, "There is a very good reason for it,” nor were they willing to say how the evacuees were embarked.