AIR SUPERIORITY

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXI, Issue 15163, 2 October 1942, Page 3

AIR SUPERIORITY

BY ALLIES IN PACIFIC ! JAP LOSSES FIVE TO ONE. i __ - LATEST MODELS USED. | United Press Assn —By Electric Telegraph—Co py right. « (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, October 1. I The belief that the latest model fighters are being used in the ooutli ! Pacific by the United Nations is exI pressed by the New York Times. The Japanese have lost 207 planes in the Solomons since the Marines lauded oil Guadalcanal 1 , says the paper. “TiiU is a ratio of more than five to one of the American losses.” The paper suggests there is a glaring disparity in aircraft quality. Our fliers could not inflict such damage unless they were using the lie west machines. ’ ’ Point ha s been given this American belief by a public announcement that British Beau fig liters flown by R.A.A.F. are now in action in New Guinea, attacking Japanese ships, troops, and supply columns. With a top speed of 330 miles an hour and a range of 1500 miles these heavilyarmed aircraft have proved their value not only as night fighters but. also as low altitude strafers. It is in this capacity that they are being used in New Guinea with conspicuous success. The Allied air superiority is an important factor in the counter-attacks against the Japanese, which are making progress both in New Guinea and tlie Solomons, savs the New York Times. “General W a veil indicated that Japan’s primary weakness would develop in the air,” says the paper. “Certainly some weakness in this respect is apparent in the South Seas The Japanese air power is insulin ient to support their brilliant advance across the Owen. Stanley j Range. The enemy planes virtually have been driven from the skies, j while unhindered Allied aircraft have torn ui) communications behind the | advancing Japanese.” Almost the whole male European j population of Java is living in pitiful conditions in prisons and prison camps. This vas revealed by three Dutchmen who have now reached Allied territory after escaping from Java. Military prisoners, they said, were forced to do manual work. The diet of the prisoners consisted entirely of rice. European women and children have not been harmed. They lived together co-operatively, but tlieir living standard was very low. The Japaue&e treatment of the native population was brutal, declared the escapees. The natives were punished for burglary and similar offences by having their hands cut off. Beheadings were carried out daily in the streets. The brutality of the Japanese is further emphasised by a story of how enemy cruisers sank a United States patrol-boat in Solomons and then methodically* machine-gun-ned to death fixe of six men in the water The patrol boat left its base on the night of September 18 in search of submarines off the Guadalcanal* coast. At dawn next day the crew sighted a cruiser bearing down from the west. “We could not make our base, so we headed for Tulagi, 15 miles away,” said the sole survivor. “The cruiser soon caught us, firing its machine-guns as it moved within range. On e by one the crew slipped overboard. One of them yelled at the Japanese, ‘l’ll see you in hell.’ I jumped into the water just as our boat sank. Tlie cruiser ignored me ard headed for the others. She halted. and for five minutes I could hear firing as the Japanese machine-gun-ned my mates.”