NAVAL OPERATIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 April 1942, Page 3

NAVAL OPERATIONS

AGAINST SUPERIOR ENEMY FORCE IN BAY OF BENGAL ft British Prime Minister Gives Some Facts LIMITS ON AIR PROTECTION OF WARSHIPS THE JAPANESE ATTACKS ON COLOMBO AND TRINCOMALEE I LONDON, April 13. The Prime Minister, Mr Churchill, today gave the House of Commons information that had been received about the recent operations in the Bay of Bengal. On April 4, he said, a superior Japanese naval force was observed steering towards Ceylon. It included three battleships, one a modernised vessel, carrying 16-inch guns, and five aircraft carriers, with heavy and light cruiser squadrons and destroyer flotillas. The naval operations against this fleet were under the command of Admiral Sir James Somerville, who for the past two years has been engaged in the Mediterranean and has had an almost unrivalled experience of modern naval warfare. Nothing in Admiral Somerville’s disposition of the forces at Ceylon had weakened the Admiralty’s confidence in him. The King has appointed Admiral Somerville as Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet, in succession to Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton. Severe Japanese attacks were made on Colombo and Trincomalee, in which the attacking aircraft suffered heavy losses, said Mr Churchill. We also suffered, but to a lesser extent. Our air losses were serious and damage was done to'shore establishments and to the few ships which remained in harbour. Torpedo and bomb-carrying aircraft were used against the Japanese carriers and practically all our aircraft were either 'knocked out or became unserviceable. The cruisers Dorsetshire and Cornwall and the aircraftcarrier Hermes had left harbour and were at sea when they were sunk by air attack. It was quite impossible, Mr Churchill said, to afford continuous air protection to all British ships at sea? Scores of warships were at sea at all times and unless risks of attack by air were taken it would be impossible to carry out qonvoy and ether duties. Mr Churchill said that he might shortly make a statement in secret session on the course of the war. 1 DEFENCE OF OILFIELDS Battle on Wide Front in Burma AIR FIGHTING NORTH OF AUSTRALIA AND IN PHILIPPINES In Burma a battle is being fought on a wide front covering the oilfields. The enemy is trying to drive a wedge between the British forces and the Chinese on their left. Several enemy columns are moving up. The enemy is harrying our forward troops from the air and bombing villages behind our lines. Attacking enemy forces are being held by the Chinese in the Sittang Valley 24 miles north of Toungoo. In an attack on Rabaul Harbour, in New Britain, American bombers scored a direct-hit and two very near misses on enemy ships. At Koepang, in Dutch Timor, enemy-occupied barracks and hangars were attacked. * In the Philippines, communications between the island of Cebu and Corregidor have been cut off. Corregidor has been subjected to further heavy attacks from the air.