JAPANESE CLAIMS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIII, Issue 24, 28 December 1942, Page 2

JAPANESE CLAIMS.

SINKING OF ALLIED SHIPS

(11.25 a.m.) NEW YORK, Dee. 27. According to the Tokio official radio the Navy Minister (Mr Slnmada) told the Diet that Japanese submarines had sunk 35 Allied merchantmen totalling 270,000 tons in tiio Indian Ocean and off South Africa since May. In the same period the Japanese destroyed Allied planes in the New Britain-Solomon areas. Ho said that the Japanese sunk, among others. 11 Allied battleships and 11 carriers, while the Japanese lost 52 naval vessels, including one battleship, three carriers, four cruisers, 15 destroyers, nine submarines and 20 various other types, also 65 merchantmen. The areas and periods of the latter claims were not specified. The Premier (Tojo) in a speech, said: “The real war is now starting. Japan is engaged night and day providing against air raids and preparing for the future. In the Solomons the Japanese arc fighting the enemy under adverse conditions. Excepting for minor punitive operations in the Philippines Japanese units arc preserving peace and order and arc bringing to perfection all measures required to meet any contingency in the Philippines or Malava.”

PEARL HARBOUR REPAIRS. Reviewing the reconstruction work at Pearl Harbour since the Japanese attack the Navy states that Pearl Harbour was not really the Gibraltar of the Pacific some believed. When the Pacific Fleet began using it as an operating base in 1940 many deficiencies were apparent and immediate steps were taken -to remedy them. Reconstruction was approaching completion on December 7 last year. The workers were busy at the repair tasks and literally, while the bombs *ere falling. A quick survey showed only minor damage was caused to the navy yard. Jt can he said now that if the Japanese had destroyed the navy yard it might have been a different story. The devotion of the workers cannot he too highly praised. The men worked during the first few days virtually 24 hour shifts, eating and sleeping where thev could. JAP. LOSSES IN CHINA. A Washington cable states that Colonel Cooper, General Chennault’s Chief of Staff, in Canada told the Press that American planes shot down 12 Japanese for every American plane lost. The high ratio was due primarily to General Chennault’s leadership. He is an outstanding genius of air warfare and has thought out and executed 83 major air battles land not lost one. He has planned 48 bombing raids which have been carried out with the loss of one bomber. "I think,” said Coloiiel Cooper, "it will be possible to gain air superiority in China with airborne supplies alone.” A Chungking cable says that American airmen in China celebrated Christmas Eve by showering tons of high explosives and incendiaries oil new Japanese barracks and other buildings at Tengyuen. (12.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 27. A Navy communique announced that Douglas Dauntless dive-bombers from Guadalcanal attacked a small group of enemy ships south of Vangunu, in the New Georgia group, on Christmas Day, sinking a 3000-ton vessel near Wickham Island, The Navy spokesman said that the ship was probably a freighter.