AIR SUCCESSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24214, 4 March 1942, Page 5

AIR SUCCESSES

LANDING CRAFT SUNK TANKS SET ON FIRE ALLIED FIGHTERS BUSY (Heed. 11.20 p.m.) LONDON Mar. 3 The United Press correspondent at Bandoeng, Java, Mr. W. H. McDougall, says that Allied fighter planes on Sunday attacked a fleet of at least 20 Japanese transports and invasion sloops which were busily landing tanks, machine-guns and troops on the north Java coast. With a few exceptions, the planes sank the sloops. They also set on fire tanks already ashore. Mr. McDougall states: "I watched the Dutch coolly moving troops .and supplies to the front. I was surprised by the lack of enemy planes overhead. Thus it seems that the Allies control the skies." A Dutch motor torpedo-boat sank a Japanese flotilla leader during a night attack in the Java Sea. Seventy fast motor torpedo ships are estimated to be operating in Indies waters. The Tokio radio quotes Japanese Imperial headquarters as saying that the Japanese in Java are steadily extending their sphere of operations, in spite of the stiffest resistance on sea and land and in the air. The Tokio radio also announces the death of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese combined Imperial fleets. It gives no details of how he died. It is recalled that the Emperor of Japan congratulated Yamamoto for his daring in attacking Pearl Harbour without warning. PLANE SHORTAGE JAPANESE DIFFICULTY "LAST DESPERATE FLING" LONDON, Mar. 2 Allied planes are maintaining a continuous ferry service, carrying bombs between their bases and beach heads, and driving off enemy planes which caused two alerts on Monday in Batavia. The Japanese planes, which apparently are operating from bases in Sumatra. Bali and Borneo, are unable to give their troops full support. The New York World Telegram stresses the indications that Japan is running short of planes. It is pointed out that the Washington communique referred to • Japan using reserve planes in Batan. Moreover, despatches from Java indicate a lessening in enemy air activity. In particular, the United Press correspondent in Java says:."l was surprised by the lack of Japanese fighter planes." He added that the Allied planes continued to be strong in the air, while Japanese planes were able to give their troops little support. Other sources point out that the wide distribution of the Japanese forces is probably causing a shortage of planes. A warning that it might be false optimism to think that the Japanese air superiority in the Netherlands East Indies was being overcome was given by the air commentator, Mr. Oliver Stewart. It was not clear what was happening in Java, and Burma. The Allied air forces iti Java in both men and machines were apparently being worked to their limit, perhaps beyond it. The present scale of the attack might be no more than a last desperate fling.