Evening Star Newspaper, January 4, 1942, Page 28

America’s Fourth Week of War (121st Week of World War I1) By Blair Bolles. Manila, “distinguished and loyal city,” jewel in America’'s Eastern empire and key to our Asiatic defense plan, now is Japanese-controlled. Invading forces of the enemy, advancing on Luzon Island, seized the capital of the Philippines and the neighboring naval base at Cavite in the bright suntight of last Thursday afternoon. The city in the past has belonged to the Filipinos, the Spanish, the British and the Americans. ‘Washington promised that the United States would recapture it in time to ' Legislators in eome, but, for the present, military reality dominates tne Philippine picture. Japanese forees there are stronger than the American, in men and planes. The great Allied need in the East is planes. Manil eapture is a long stride toward the capture of the Philippine Islands, and the islands’ capture would be a step of inestimable value toward the heart of the current phase of the Far Eastern battle: Singapore. Between the Japanese and that stronghold stands now most of the land of the Straits Settlements, an Allied army on that land, detachments of the navies of the United States, the Netherlands, England and Australia and the courage of those Allies. the Dutch Navy in the Indies. Units of the American fleet last week joined And Gen. Wavell, by Allied consent, took command of all United Nations’ forces in the Far East. - In Washington the belligerent anti-Axis colleagues of Great Britain and the United States signed a pact committing them to stand together until the end, with no separate peace. United States should be ready to spend $50,000,000,000, half the national | income, for war purposes during the ensuing year. President Roosevelt said that the In Russia the Red armies continued their astounding victories and pushed the Germans back in Crimea, the peninsula whose capture by the Germans was regarded as the preliminary to a campaign in the Caucasus—a campaign that never came. In Libya the British gave their attention to cleaning out near the Egyptian border a nest of Axis forces which had not been pushed back with the main armies of Gen. Erwin Rommel. X X% Pacific Front Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Amer- fean Fer Eastern commander, and his forces fell back on Corregidor Island and Batan Peninsula, on the western side of | Manila Bay, before the Japamese moved | into Manila and took Cavite. The War Department communique announcing Manila’s fall declared that Gen. Mac- Arthur's brilliant tactical maneuver in | shorting his lines, permitting the cap- | ture of the capital, would enable him to | strike harder, co-ordinated blows at the enemy then if he had elected to defend the city. In the coming days of the battle of the Philippines the question of chief importance will concern the degree of opposition Gen. MacArthur can offer. “The loss of Manila, while serious, has not lessened the resistance to the Japa- nese attacks,” the War De- Manila’s partment disclosed. All Capture military installations st Manila were removed or destroved a week ago Friday, when the capital was declared an open city, and all troops, American and Filipino, were removed. Japenese moved swiftly overland dur- Ing the week to climax their operations by the seizure of Manila. On Monday the forces advancing southward from landing points on Lingayen Bay had moved to within closer than 55 miles to Manila, reaching Pampanga Province, a sugar-producing area crossed by the Pampanga River. Japanese at this point brought cavalry to bear in the battle. Gen. MacArthur in Pampanga changed his style of resistance by withdrawing, opposing the invaders with a shortened line, He put his troops in proper posi- tion to withdraw to Batan and Cor- regidor. The Batan peninsula adjoins Pampanga Province. The plan of the Japanese involved a two-fold operation, thrust from the north and thrust from the south. Troops which had landed southeast of Manila around Lamon B: were only 45 miles * from the capital Tuesday. By that time the Japanese had twice bombed Manila, despite its declaration as an open eity, and Gen. MacArthur called for retalia- tive measures. The President sent & message to the Milipinos praising their bravery and promising them their in- dependence. Hope for Manila disappeared Wednes- day. Private advices reaching the Asso- ciated Press in New York that day said that the city's fall was imminent. Gen. MacArthur's Wednesday communique said that “the enemy is driving in great force from both north and south. * * ¢ Our lines are being pushed back.” The War Department here emphasized that the MacArthur forces continued “strong resistance, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.” ‘The Japanese pushed their way for- ward with tanks and dive bomber: i served along the route to Manila, as they had served the Germans in France, as a sort of artillery. Tokio on Wednes- day said the Japanese moving up from Lamon Bay were 20 miles from Manila. Thursday, New Year Day, brought the last American-Filipino stand against the Japanese north of Manila. Secretary of ‘War Stimson told the press here that the Japanese greatly outnumbered’ their opponents, that Gen. MacArthur was a “most skillful commander” and that for 20 years it had been recognized that the struggle to hold the islands would be “extremely uphill” if it ever came. The careful MacArthur preparations | rendered Manila of the smallest possible value to the Japanese by MacArthur the time they entered the s'm'.gy city Friday afternoon. Cavite provides them with a seat of naval operations for the Japa- nese line from Japan to Malaysia if they gain control ef Manila Bay by driving Gen. MacArthur from his Corregidor position. Corregidor is a fortified bastion, and the Batan peninsula behind it is a mountainous region of difficult terrain. Cavite wes evacuated earlier, the Navy THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, nf. C, JANUARY 4, 1942 SAN FERNANDO [ © CAMP JOHN HAY S | . 7 . £ f/3AYOMBONG BAGUIO £ Tk e SAN QUINTIN BAYOMBANG) " s. JOSE Pty CAMILING ~acg 3 e FIELD FORT STOTSENBURC | [ £an rennance 2 e’ NAVAL S. :‘unomo \STATION o : OLONGA RAILROADS wpmpmtepetrte ROADS memc—smmme [] - afas MILES o .',} : A g CASIGURAN 4 & CABANATUAN ke Fods oo v MASBATE . L) : MASBATE Here is shown the grim theater of the battle of e Philippines. Department here said, and all equip- ment, records and stores removed. 80 now comes the battle for Manila Bay. It probably will be harder for the Japanese to bring this one to swift vic- torious conclusion than it was for them to win Manila city. The MeacArthur | forces control a small naval base, Olan< gapo. War. In 1898, however, the bay was taken first and then the city. Admiral Many a man is now alive who remem- Dewey won the naval battle of Manila bers the last time Manila changed heaus. | It fell to the United States, and tne date was August 13, 1898. It was one of the great prizes of the Spanish-American COLD, HUNGER HAUNT EUROPE’S MILLIONS Germany, With Loot of Continent, Best Prepared for Winter BERN, Switzerland, Jan. 3.—Cold and hunger are unwelcome guests in many European homes during this third win- ter of war. Among the poor a2nd the lower classes, the lack of food, clothing and fuel is felt cruelly. But there are few who can escape being touched. Bread lines have lengthened with bat- tle lines. Rationing has become more stringent as country after country domi- nated by the Axis war machine tries to support armies of occupation while at- tempting to re-establish disjointed agri- cultural and industrial production. Germany has been assured by her food ministry there will be enough for the winter months. But Germany is more fully and scientifically prepared than other European countries. She may tap the stocks and resources of con- quered and collaboreting nations while using some 1,500,000 war prisoners in farm work. There may be more belt-tightening, but there is no admission of an ap- proaching food crisis in the Reich. Italy to Feel Bread Cut. Germany's Axis partner Italy has taken belated but sherp action in ration- ing clothing, shoes and other textiles. Bread has been limited to 200 grams (about 7 ounces) daily—400 for heavy laborers—a restriction which Fascist Writer Virginio Gayda said in his Gior- nale DTtalia “certainly will be felt” by his countrymen. There will be some hunger among the lower classes, but no starvation. It is in the beaten, occupied and, in some instances, Axis-collaborating na- tions that food conditions are more serious. The plight of Greece has been described as “pitiful” by one neutral | observer. France and Belgium have been living from hand to mouth for a year. Many in Spain need food. Even Switzerland, still the best fed country on the con- tinent, feels the pincer of less food and a 30 per cent rise in living costs. But the trend here only emphasizes worse conditions elsewhere. ¥ In France, thousands of acres of farm land have been idle for lack of man | power. Frence has been unable to obtain bodied war prisoners in Germany. Rumania, the “granary of Europe,” has two breadless days a week. Bulgaria, another country with a crop-selling prob- lem before the war, now has her crops rationed by the government. Both eountries have rigid controls to permit Mcreased supplies to Germany. A A By Frank Brutto, Wide World News. Bread cards have been introduced in Hungary. The newspaper Pesti Hirlap of Budapest labeled all who accumulated food 2s “gangsters.” paper, in a dispatch from Belgrade, said the food situation was catastrophic in | many ex-Yugoslav cities, where there are great shortages of potatoes, corn, wheat and meat. In Rumania, 313 Bu- charest merchants were tried in & single day on charges of violating food-control laws. People Lose Weight. Private letters from Holland disclose great anxiety over the food situation. Each person is allowed 1800 grams (about 63 ounces) of bread weekly and 7 pounds of potatoes for the same pe- riod. Fruit is very expensive and it is | estimated that 80 per cent is going to Germany and the remaining 20 per cent | to jam factories. One individual wrote “most people have lost 15 to 20 pounds,” while another said “everybody expects milk, meat and fats probably will soon disappear from kitchens.” Effective January 15, Hungary will ra- tion bread, flour, sugar, butter and fats | Until | now, they have been rationed only in the | throughout the entire country. capital and large cities. Bulgaria already has cut the daily bread ration from 400 grams (about 14 | ounces) to 150 grams per person. War and the Allied blockade have either reduced or eliminated Europe's | supply of New Zealand butter, Australian mution, Argentine beef, American meat, Brazilian coffee, Canadian apples, Afri- can palm oil and Antarctic whale oil. All the countries have tried to increase food production, but they have been hampered by lack of labor, fertilizer and | machinery. Nitrates once used for fer- tilizer are needed for explosives, and machinery, which is limited, must have fuel to operate. labor when the war began. \ Europe Lacks Self-Sufficiency. Some authorities see little prospect of Europe’s producing enough food for its needs during the war, although in peace- times certain countries produced enough or slightly better. Among them were: | Hungary, 121 per cent; Lithuania, 110; release of some 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 able- | Rumania, 110; Bulgaria, 109; Yugoslavia, 106; Latvia, 106; Denmi onia, 102; Spain, 100. Italy produced 95 per cent; Portugal, 94; Sweden, 91 PFrance, 83; Germany, 83; Greece, Finland, 78; Ireland, 75; Holland, 67; Belgium, 51; Switzerland, 47; Norway, 43: England, 25 per cent. Both at home and in occupied areas The same news- | Germany was short of | 103; Esth- | Germany strained this summer and au- tumn to obtain enough food. Prisoners of war were used everywhere to help till the soil and bring in the harvest. Just how much of the Ukraine harvest was saved is not known, but German food authorities assure all inquirers there is enough food for the winter regardless of the Ukraine and this year’s German harvest. German experts point out that ration- ing ,begnn in Germany the first day of the war although, it was claimed, the country had enough grain for six or seven years. Italy enters her second winter of war with stringent control. Bread, fats and most bulk foods are rationed. Potatoes, cheese, beans and other standard articles of diet are distributed under severe con- trol. Heavy eating by those who can afford wartime prices is being discour- aged by standardization of meals in restaurants. Meat is scarce and rationed about 5 ounces weekly per person. Enough Fruit for Own Needs. Despite shipments to Germany, Italy still grows enough fruits and vegetables for her needs, but the supply is not over- abundant. this year enly slightly better. The 13-ounce monthly fat ration is small, but Fascist dieticians say Italians need less fat than more northern people because of their country’s milder climate. In normal times Italy has never had more ‘then seven pigs for each 1,000 of | population, compared with 227 in Switz- erland, 272 in Hungary, 363 in Germany, 1372 in Denmark. Premier Mussolin{ announced that the 1941 wheat crop totaled 262,700,000 bush- | els, or about 5,500,000 bushels more than the 1940 yield which was made to stretch for bread and rationed speghetti for Italy’s 45,000,000 people. But Italy now must also feed the Greeks since she took | over that country from the Germans. Greece normally is dependent largely on her merchant fleet to bring in most of her food. -The fleet now is inactive. The American Red Cross is helping ar- range food shipments from Turkey, but despite aid Greece is bound to have & hungry winter. A neutral observer who arrived in Ankara from Athens said people in the Greek capital were falling in the streets from hunger. Spain's wheat crop this year was esti- mated to be far above the 1840 crop. The rice crop was better than average and olive.oll production above normal. ] Italy produces only about | two-thirds of the olive oil it requires. | | In 1940 oil production wes very low and s LT. GEN HEIN TER POORTEN, Commander of Dutch East Indies Army. —Wide World Photo.| Spain is better prepared than she wfé' last winter but must contend with hig| prices and illegal sale of rationed food| stuffs'at high prices. Fuel is scarce anj deterioration of the country's rollin| stock threatens distribution. T} yov- ernment's great problem is thatipain's poor cen't pay the high pricespt for many foods and that Spain’s can and will pay many times the as:hswi price. : In France a relief worker from Mar seille wrote that the food problem woul be “knotty” this winter. A typical res taurant meal, he said, consisted of fresh tomato, a small piece of meat,| vegetables or noodles and a peach or) slice of melon. After two weeks of meals like that, he said, “one begins to be basically hungry for fats or proteins.” Eggs, cheese, rice are scarce and xgur;n standing in line is necessary to buy What food is available. Purchases Limited. Switzerland, a foremost dairy country, now has few eggs. August sales of im- ported eggs dropped 80 per cent, com- pared with two years ago. Homelaid egg sales were down 90 per cent. One-fifth of the country’s poultry has been killed because of feed shortage and farmers, because of the rise in other food prices, are eating their eggs rather than selling them. Switzerland now has three meat- less days a week. Not until the end of September this year did Italy move to limit purch 1 clothing, other textiles and shoes. Bef that ‘high prices were restraint enougl for most Italians, but Italians and Gen man officials, soldiers and -visiters whi had money could buy without reserve. % Bay on April 30, 1898, but three and one- Y possession of American forces. Span- 'h authority had been established there r.r months passed before the city was | in 1571. The British controlled it from October, 1762, to February, 1763. Sani- tary control instituted by the United States authorities have turned Manila into one of the world’s healthiest cities, despite the fact that it is in the hot tropics. Ranging far over the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese revisited last week the scene of their first blow in the war, the Ha- waiians. A War. Department commu- nique said that the Hilo on the island of Hawaii, the harbor of Kahului on the islend of Maui and the shoreline near Lihue on the island of Kauai had been fired cn from Japenese submarines. The damage was partial destruction of & wharf and the firing of a sugar cane fleld. “It’s relatively safe and simple for & submarine to arise to the surface near a port and throw a few shells into a city,” Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, warned in Hawaii. “It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Japanese submarines operatipg off the West Coast of the United States may attempt to lay their shells into cities before they leave.” Where is the fleet that Admiral Nimitz commands? That is a general question which the American popu- lace asks now, but it gets no answer. high command in Batavia, Fleet Mystery Java, Netherlands Indies, disclosed in | its communique Friday that units of | the United States fleet had joined the Dutch Navy in defense of the far-spread- ing Indies archipelago. The report said that one of our ships had been attacked by Japanese planes without suffering “serious damage.” The Navy in Wash- ington said # had no information about any damage, but it eonfirmed the Dutch report of co-operation. In their carefully planned progress to- ward Singapore, the Japanese pushed very slowly forward down the Straits Settlements and tried to establish posi- tions on the Indies islands that would enable them to surround, roughly, the | goal they seek at the southern tip of Straits Settlements. Their bombing planes for the first time visited Sumatra, greet East Indian island across which roam tigers, orang-utangs and elephants. Sumatra is across the Straits of Malacca from Singapore and extends westward from Singapore. Bad news from Singapore heralded the week. The British there on Monday acknowledged that Japanese troops had swept south of Ipoh, Malaya tin mining city and communications center 290 miles north of Singapore. time the Allied powers announced the fall of Kuching, Sarawak capital, to the Japanese, a port on the island of Borneo looking toward Singapore 475 miles across South China Sea. The Japanese were pleased over their capture of Ipoh, which is one of the major stations on the west coast railway system connect- ing Prai—on the mainland opposite Japanese-taken Penang Singapore. “The fall of Ipoh” the Tokio radio vance for the first time modern roads power drive toward Singapore.” The power drive did not develop so quickly as Tokio wished. Martial law was declared in $inga- pore Tuesday night aft- er Japanese bombers, kept high by anti-air- Singapare Resistance stronghold and dropped a few bombs. North of Singapore on Tuesday the Japenese tried to rush British lines in’ the Perak area, but they paid heavily. The Dutch | At the same | Island — with | and methods of transportation for a | | In London, Reuters agency heard that craft fire and searchlights, visited the | in casualties for the attempt. The natives of the Straits Settlements and Malay states area celled for the fight against the invader to the death. Japanese bombers ushered in the New Year for Singapore with two air raids, but apparently they did lttle demage to property. Meanwhile the Allies and the Japanese were fighting a vigorous battle at the east coast Malay port of Kuantan, 190 miles north of Singapore. The Japanese Army claimed officially that Kuantan was captured by its troops, but the British denied the claim. Next day the Japanese imperial headquarters | in Tokio claimed that on New Year Day their air forces sank a 2,000-ton ship and damaged a 3,000-ton ship among some enemy transports in the BStrait of Malacca. Allied strategy ealls for the defense of Singapore with all the means at the Allies’ disposal in order o estabiish that base as the point for launehing an offen- sive in the Pacific, the Associeted Prees was told by a British authority in Lon- don. He gave a general picture of the Far Eastern situation, seying that the British would depend on the American Navy until British naval forces “are built up to regain control.” He foresaw a serious threat to Singapore if the Japa- nese establish strong air forces on Penang, held by the Japanese. He thought such a force would be able to exercise a certain amount of control over traffic in the Straits of Malaeca. *x k% Russian Front A statistician n London last week made an interesting estimate of the satisfying menner in which the Russiens have helped England. The Russian ex- pedition, the statisticlan computed, has cut the German air force 1o 65 per eent of its peak strength. There has not been a really big raid on Britain since the war with Russia began, June 22. The good news pessed on by an air ob- server with excellent sources of informa- tion was this: “The German air force is literally worn out. The pilots are tired, and there is a real shortage of planes in certain cate- gories. With the Luftwaffe in its present condition, Hitler can't just laugh off the loss of the 476 planes which the British shot down, destroyed or captured from November 18 (the beginning of the Libyen campaign) to December 23.” While the Russian military successes grew almost monotonous during the week, the Reds and the Soviet British cemented their Successes alliance against Germany and the German eol- leagues in Europe. This political de- velopment was accomplished through the visit to Moscow of Anthony Eden, British Foreign Minister, for talks with Stalin. | The Russians welcomed him. The greatest Russian accomplishment | of the week was the recapture of Keluga, on the Oka River more than 100 miles south of Moscow. Next, the hard-hitting Russian offensive on the Moscow front | was reported aimed at eliminating the announced, “opens to the Jepanese ad- | German spearhead at Mozhaisk, 57 miles west of the Soviet capital, the last re- meining of the great threats to Moscow. Adolf Hitler, in his new capacity of su- preme commander of the German armies, had rushed to the front in an attempt to stem the German retreat. Before his reported departure, Hitler made a speech of hope to his troops as a New Year Day message. “The enemy's attempt during the winter of 1941-42 to avert his fate by attacking us again must and will be frustrated,” Hitler said, referring to the Red counteroffensive. » DUTCH INDIES MAKING GALLANT STAND Strike Terrific Blows ot Japanese Warcraft and Transports Japan is reaching greedy fingers for Ye treasure house of raw materials ‘ored in the Netherland Indies, but the utch are striking back with the same gbborn fury they displayed more than Tee centuries ago to gain control of t islands. This empire-in-exile is making a gal- la stand beside America, Britain and Cna to beat off the assaults of the Axis Ppeers. The little Dutch Navy and air foe are dwarfed by the giants battling ithe Pacific, but they have struck some trific blows in smashing Japanese war- §ps, troop transports and supply ships. FPew believe the Dutch can stand alone Ainst the Japanese should the foe gain fl control of the Philippines and over- n the British bastion of Singapore. R reports from the Far East say the | Allies are rushing reinforcements to the Pacific arena. Since the Nazis conquered the Low- lands in May, 1840, the nerve center of the Netherlands Empire has shifted 8500 miles from the Hague to Batavia on the coast of Java. Almost overnight the 3.000 islands stretching along the Equator half a world away became vitally important to the United States. Most Americans had thought of them vaguely as an exotic tropical paradise inhabited by pretty Balinese dancers, old temples, steaming jungles, primitive natives and fierce Borneo head-hunters. Both Sides Need Resources. | All these are found in the East Indies— ut Japan is grasping for the petroleum, n, rubber and other resources which e needs to keep her engines of war oving at sea, on land and in the air. The United States needs them, too. early 40 per cent of the world supply crude rubber comes from the Dutch ands, and armies can’'t roll without bber. ther than immediately shutting off materials to Japan and maintaining ur own supplies, tfiere’s still another portant reason why the United States watching the Dutch East Indies with creasing interest: These islands might e day be the stepping stones by which e A. B. C. D. powers could launch an tack against Japanese strongholds and tter their Pacific power. The islands’ defense is built around a comparatively small conscript army with & nucleus of 125,000 well-trained nd well-equipped professional soldiers, h native and European; an air foree id to have more than 1,000 modern il [} By Don W hitehead, Wide World News, first-line planes, many of make, and a hard-hitting navy. of 5 cruisers, T destroyers, 6 torpedo boats, 2 motor torpedo boats, 22 subma- rines, 5 minelayers, 13 mine sweep- ers and some 40 auxiliary craft. a matter of policy, most of the fleet was based in the East Indies when the Germans struck and so escaped the Nazi invasion of the homeland. It is commanded by Vice Admiral C. E. L. Helfrich, 55, who has spent most of his life in the Dutch naval forces. Strung over the islands are well-con- cealed airfields with hidden stores of gasoline and oil. Even the jungles are “mined” against the Japanese—little needle-sharp spears with poison tips are hidden in the underbrush. The poison is renewed periodically to main- tain its potency. bitter experience long ago from natives who now are friendly. Plowing through underbrush the men were scratched by swiftly. More Arms Needed. The Dutch had long planned to strike first and strike hard against a foe, hit- ting principally with planes and sub- marines on the sea. done. But despite their successes, they still need more bombing planes, fight- ing ships, anti-aircraft guns and small arms. Only a few days ago Lt. Gen. Hein ter Poorten, commander of the army, appealed for more materials. The is- lands have no heavy industries to pro- duce their own implements of war. None doubts that the Dutch will fight tenaciously to hold their hard-won pos- sessions. “The Portuguese and Spanish have reason to remember the stubborn Spanish struggle from 1568 to 1648 the Dutch battled their foes relentlessly. The Spaniards called them the “water- guezen—beggars of the sea,” but the Dutch merely regarded the term as a badge of honor. They finally gained a foothold in the guese traders about the latter part of the 16th century and slowly built up the islands as an important world trading center. Actually, there is a comparatively small percentage of Hollanders among the is- lands' 70,000.000 inhabitants. Approxi- mately 60,000,000 of the people are na- | tives, less than 300,000 are Dutch, and : American The real strength of the fleet is a mili- | tary secret but it consists approximately | As | o1 This was a trick the Dutch learned by | the concealed barbs—and death came | And this they've | will of the Hollanders. In the Dutch- | East Indies in competition with Portu- | the others are Europeans, Chinese and other Asiatics. This polyglot population embraces many ideologies, religions and eultures and speaks some 250 languages—but there never has been any doubt about the lovalty of the great majority to the Dutch government. The United States has a vital economic stake in the islands aside from any moral responsibility to aid in the Indies’ defense. American capital helped de- velop the rich oil fields. In 1940 this country bought $112,116,000 worth of its crude rubber from the Dutch, $2.271,000 of quinine bark, $4.500,000 in sisal fiber to make binder twine for farmers, $3,- 100,000 in paraffin wax, $3,000,000 in to- bacco—a total of $170,000,000 worth of goods, During the same year, the islands bought 60 per cent of its imports from the United States. Fifth Largest Oil Producer. The Netherlands East Indies are the fifth largest petroleum producer in the world. Their 1940 oil production totaled 60,000,000 barrels, not an impressive figure beside this Nation's output of 1,250,000,000 barrels, but enough to keep Japan’s engines of death running smoothly. And besides the oil, rubber, tin, to- bacco and quinine, there are rich sources of spices, palm oil, sugar, tea, coffee, kapok, gold, silver, nickel, manganese, bauxite, iron, lead, sulphur and copper. Of all the islands, Sumatra and Java are the most highly developed and the keystones in the East Indies defense. | The Dutch figure they can lose some of the small islands without great dan- ger, winning them back another day. But they don't intend to lose Java and Sumatra. If an invasion should be successful, a well-planned scorched-earth policy would rob the invaders of any immediate benefits from oil fields in Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Ceram. The roads to the interior will be clogged with blasted trees and dynamited bridges, forcing the invaders to hack their way through the jungle. Mean- time, gas jets will be lit beneath dry boilers to explode gasoline and oil in the “stills” Puel tanks will be punc- tured; pipelines, conduits and machinery smashed, and the wells choked with concrete. But this destruction is planned only as & last desperate measure to rob the enemy of any economic benefits from conquest. Right now, the stubborn Dutch are giving the Japs s great desl more punishment than they're recetving. A