CORAL SEA ECHO

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 119, 22 May 1942, Page 5

CORAL SEA ECHO

Japanese Still Searching For Information

LATEST BROADCAST

Rec. 2 p.m NEW YORK, May 21. Tokyo official radio to-day, in an apparent attempt to elicit information by the Domei agency, broadcast what purported to be details of the Coral Sea Battle. The announcer said the battle was fought on two days. May 7 and 8. The battle on the first day was similar to that off Malaya. Powerful British and American fleets were lured into the northern part of the Coral Sea by a feint carried out by a small Japanese aircraft-carrier.

"Our naval force speedily trapped the enemy fleet in an effort to finish it at one fell swoop," the spokesman said. Then he reiterated previous claims of the losses inflicted. He said the battle was modern in every sense. Several hundred Japanese and enemy planes violently stormed at each other.

"Although the Japanese were outnumbered seriously, we sank two powerful aircraft-carriers with all their planes aboard, and shot down additional aircraft four times the number of those destroyed with th 6 carriers, proving that the Japanese fighting strength in the air is superior to that of the enemy.

"What surprised us was the desperate retreat of the enemy," the spokesman said, and then gave a dissertation on American secrecy in the obvious effort to elicit information. He proceeded: "The Coral Sea has become our patrol zone. This should make it clear who was victorious."