MACASSAR STRAIT RAID

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 22, 27 January 1942, Page 5

MACASSAR STRAIT RAID

LONDON, January 26.

'There is more news tonight of the great Allied air and sea attack on the Japanese convoy in the Strait of Macassar. This comes in communiques from Batavia, Washington, and the general headquarters of the South-west Pacific Command. The communiques say that one Netherlands submarine has sunk a Japanese destroyer, or possibly a cruiser, and a second submarine has sunk a destroyer and hit a cruiser. Cruisers and destroyers of the American Asiatic Fleet sank five enemy transports, and probably one more. American Flying' Fortresses yesterday sank a large transport ship and scored a direct hit on a cruiser. The' Allied attack began on Friday afternoon, and the latest news means that at least 10 Japanese ships have been sunlv, five more may have been sunk, and anothei* 17 have been damaged. : This smashing blow has been struck with the loss of only one Dutch bomber and slight damage to one American destroyer.

The communique from headquarters of the south-west Pacific Command, issued by the Dutch Government in London, is transmitted by British Official Wireless; "On January 25, action by the Allied air forces against the enemy convoy off the Macassar Strait continued. Dutch bombers near Balik Papan, on the coast of Borneo, scored four direct hits on two cruisers and one transport. "Further reports from the United States naval forces which attacked the convoy show that five hits were scored with torpedoes, apart' from the damage inflicted by gunfire."

Figures issued in Rangoon and Chungking today show that the Allied air forces operating from Burma and China have destroyed 267 Japanese planes since the war began.

A communique issued by the R.A.F. reports that in Saturday night's raid on Bangkok our aircraft left large fires blazing in the docks and commercial centre of the town. One aircraft failed to return.

Today's communique from Rangoon says that 40 enemy planes approached the city today. They were intercepted by American Volunteer Group squadrons. Three enemy machines were destroyed and another probably lost. One defending fighter was shot down."