NEWS COMMENTARY

by

CHESTER WILMOT

The carrying of the air offensive from Australia into the Philippines dwarfs all other news today. The great significance of the raids is not so much the damage they did but the offensive spirit which inspired them. It shows that General Brett is determined to send his bombers thrusting deep into enemy territory and hitting hard at the enemy where ever they are. It shows that with their long range bombers the Americans can strike at bases which the Japanese must have considered were safe from air attack.

At an R.A.A.F. air field last night I talked with some of the pilots who took part in these operations and today the leader of the mission, Brigadier General Royce told correspondents as much of the story as can be revealed now.

This mission was one of the greatest achievements of the war in the air by either side. For daring and surprise it's in the same class as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. General MacArthur’s plan was so daring that when it was first discussed many experienced airmen thought that it would have little chance of success. But General Royce organised it so thoroughly and carried it out so daringly that it was far more successful than even the optimists thought possible. In one way it was far more daring and surprising than the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

CERtainly the risks involved in the attack on the Philippines were infinitely greater. When Japanese aircraft struck at Pearl Harbour, they operated from a carrier more than 500 miles away in safe water. They delivered only one attack, and then withdrew. But General Royce took his bombers into the midst of the enemy and struck at them again and again oven the two days the operations took.

Even reaching their objectives was perilous, but the fact that the bombers continued to operate for two days after their presence was known is an indication of the courage of their crews.

The Philippines are two thousand miles from Northern Australia. The seas over which the American bombers had to fly are commanded by the Japanese and throughout the islands the Japanese have dozens of bases from which they can command the air. The only areas still left in Allied hands are parts of New Guinea and some islands and parts of islands in the Philippines. And yet these American planes thrust deep into enemy territory and then proceeded to bomb every target they could find. For two days they continued to do this and returned to Australia with the loss of only one plane.

And when they came back most of the planes carried passengers from the Philippine battle zone.

This work gave added significance to the raid because among  those rescued were a number of senior American officers and six pilots and two correspondents who brought recent information about the military position in the Philippines. I'll say more about them later.

You'll get some idea of the daring of this raid if you think of it in local terms. After they had finished their job the bombers reached bases in Australia as far from the Philippines as Sydney is from Darwin. It was like having to fly back from Dublin to Newfoundland.... with this added danger that over almost every mile of the flight they were likely to be intercepted by enemy fighters operating from bases over which the American bombers were flying.

The one plane which was lost was the Flying Fortress which carried General Royce himself on the way there. When they were still several hours flight from the Philippines one engine petered out and they had difficulty in reaching land. During part of this period General Royce himself piloted the plane, and it was finally brought

down safely. Then while the faulty engine was being changed, a Japanese dive-bomber destroyed it. This was bad luck but the crew were unhurt and the loss didn't interfere with the operations. No other planes were lost and every man who went on the mission came back unscathed.

General Royce told us today how the Japanese made desperate efforts to find out where the raiders were coming from. They sent over seaplanes, bombers and fighters hour after hour on Sunday afternoon and Monday, but all their searching was in vain, and they bombed indiscriminately in desperation without success.

Without interruption the Americans continued their attacks on every available target in spite of heavy A.A. fire and fighter interception. Every raid was carried out in broad daylight and after the first raids the Japanese must have been on the alert for further attacks. This makes it even more remarkable that every plane returned safely except the one that was destroyed on the ground.

In these operations General Royce adopted what were virtually guerilla tactics, for the bombers were operating in what is substantially an enemy occupied zone and the raids were made against whatever spot targets could be found. General Royce was naturally disappointed that there was comparatively little shipping in Manila Bay when the Flying Fortresses attacked there on Sunday morning, but they made up for it by plastering Nicholls Field, the main Manila airfield. The greater part of the attacks were directed against Japanese forces which made a landing in the island of Cebu last week and against the Japanese occupied port of Davao. Davao is the main port in the island of Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippine group. The Japanese made a landing at Davao in December but they have made little progress in their attempts to conquer the whole island. At Davao as well as making attacks on enemy shipping the American bombers were able to co-operate with the American and Philippino land forces. At dawn on Monday morning the army launched an attack on an important Japanese position and this was supported by attacks on the Japanese troops by a formation of B25 medium bombers. The Japanese invasion port of Cebu was particularly attacked and three of their transports were hit and two others damaged. These blows should give considerable help to the American and Philippino forces who are still resisting the Japanese advance in Cebu and Mindanao.

Officers and correspondents who returned with General Royce told me that the spirit of the American and Philippino troops in Corregidor, Mindanao and Cebu is splendid.

Nat Floyd of the Mantlo Bulletin, one of the Correspondents brought back, told me that in Mindanao the Japanese advance into the interior of the island has been stopped. The enemy holds only a small area around the port of Davao and his only other footing on the whole island is at Zamboanga. Elsewhere the American and Philippino troops are holding the island and constantly worrying the Japanese with their guerilla tactics. They have plenty of food for they are living on the country but they do need reinforcements of men and equipment. If these can be got to them they should be able to hold Mindanao until such time as the ALLIED COUNTER ATTACK CAN DRIVE THE Japanese from the two key ports of the island.

I learned a little about the position on Corregidor from Lieut. Colonel Chi Wang who was the Liaison Officer of the Chinese Amy with General  Wainwright’s Force.

He had been on Bataan until about ten days before it fell. After that he was on Corregidor during some of the heavy shelling. He told me that the shelling had little effect on the garrison and that their guns were replying very effectively.

One of the most interesting people who came back with General Royce was Captain Jesus Villamor, a 26 year old Philippino pilot. Last December he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster which means that he won the D.S.C. twice. Then flying a P26 Boeing Fighter which was ten years old, he once engaged a formation of forty Zero Fighters and shot two of them down. Later he engaged a large force of Japanese bombers. He told me that during the investment of the Bataan Peninsular he carried out a number of reconnaissance flights over Japanese occupied territory in another aeroplane nearly as old as his P26. He said he was quite sure that the Philippino people would continue fighting so long as there was any chance of them doing damage to the Japanese forces.

This afternoon General Royce received a cable from General Marshal, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, saying "Good Work, Congratulations". It wasn't any wonder. By this long range attack on the Philippines the Americans are repaying the Japanese in their own coin. The real work of avenging Pearl Harbour has begun.

Chester Wilmot

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NEWS COMMENTARY

3AR – 7,23 p.m.

Thursday 16/4/42

by

CHESTER WILMOT

The carrying of the air offensive from Australia into the Philippines dwarfs all other.