Word: balikpapan
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Most important of last week's raids was staged by Major General St. Clair Streett's Thirteenth Air Force-a 2,500-mile round trip from New Guinea to Balikpapan on the east coast of Borneo. Said General MacArthur: "The advance of our bomber line now has made possible heavy bomber attacks on Balikpapan, major fuel storage center, with more than 3,000,000 barrels capacity, and the most important source of aviation gasoline and lubricating oils...
...stood firm in their predictions of a long war against Japan. Even if the Japs lost Truk (which they will not until many foot soldiers have lost their lives taking it), or if Truk were bypassed, many bases remained for Admiral Koga's Navy: Singapore, Surabaya in Java, Balikpapan in Borneo, Saipan in the Marianas, Manila and the Japanese homeland bases...
...Miles to Balikpapan. In the Southwest Pacific, 6-245 flew the distance from Boston to Kansas City (1,300 mi.) and back in a blow against a Jap equivalent of Ploesti-the oil depot of Balikpapan in Borneo. They destroyed at least seven oil reservoirs. All the raiders returned to their Australian bases...
Hart had deployed his Asiatic Fleet as far south as Borneo before the war began. He contends it would have been "footless" to bring his destroyers and cruisers into Luzon waters after control of the air had been lost. Twice-at Balikpapan and Bali -the Asiatic Fleet stalled the Jap drive southward, but (after Hart was relieved) "disaster soon followed and in the end we lost heavily-the Houston [cruiser], Pillsbury, Edsall and Pope [destroyers] were all lost in surface ship action at sea under circumstances about which we know little . . . yes, ships were lost, but it was not footless...
...smoke from Balikpapan's fires lay low and heavy on the water and the night was moonless. After midnight four Jap destroyers burst out of the gloom across the course of Desdiv 59. Talbot swung to starboard to avoid them, hoped they would not see him. They disappeared in the night and Desdiv 59 dashed into the middle of the convoy...