MORE LANDINGS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 55, 6 March 1942, Page 7

MORE LANDINGS

REPORT FROM LONDON

NO REGULAR FRONT

(Rec. 11.45 a.m.) RUGBY, Mar. 5. Further Japanese landings in west Java have taken place, according to authoritative quarters in London, arid fierce fighting is proceeding. The Batavia communique states that the battle is now raging all over Java and adds that because of the peculiar character of infiltration warfare, the result of which is that the establishment of a regular front tfs completely impossible, it is difficult to give a clear review of the state of affairs. "On the whole, however," says the communique, "the Japanese have numerical superiority and are advancing continually. They have succeeded in this way, in spite of the heroic arid courageous resistance of our troops, in occupying several places. "Definite air superiority has contributed to the enemy successes. Solo and some places in east Java, such as Bodjonegoro, 'fell into enemy hands. In west Java our troops evacuated Krawang, also Poerwakarta and Tangerang, which were occupied by the enemy. "In the course of an attack by our Hurricanes on the aerodrome of Kalidjati, which is. occupied by the enemy, two of our aircraft were shot down. One of the pilots was slightly injured; the other saved himself uninjured. One Japanese navy plane was shot down and another damaged,. while some navy planes were m,achine-gunned on the field. : i "Yesterday morning, 16 bombers bombed an aerodrome near Bandoeng. Tb,e damage was very small. Some bombs fell in residential quarters while a fire was started in a kampong. Nobody was killed. "In the course of an attack on Tjimahi some persons were killed. During the attack on Bandoeng two enemy planes were shot down for certain while a third was most probably shot down. "This morning six Japanese bombers made a surprise attack on Bandoeng in hazy weather. Our anti-air-craft guns shot down two enemy aircraft and damaged two others so seriously that most probably they were not able to reach their base. ' Slight damage was done when Tjilatjap was raided yesterday."—B.O.W.