AIR BATTLES IN MALAYA

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23512, 15 December 1941, Page 5

AIR BATTLES IN MALAYA

Enemy Aircraft Shot Down FIRST RAID OVER BURMA (Received December 14, 11.30 p.m.) (U.P.A.) LONDON, December 13. Air successes are reported in the latest Singapore communique, which states that fighting continues on the Kedah front, and there is little change in the situation. Ground troops shot down one enemy bomber in the Kedah area. There is no change in the Kelantan area. Some successes have been obtained in the air to-day. In a battle over Penang, throe British aircraft engaged and destroyed one enemy aircraft, while two others are believed to have been destroyed. In another area .three more fighters engaged an unspecified number of enemy airgraft, and two were shot down. Observers’ posts later reported that a third had crashed. All the British fighters returned safely. A further enemy aeroplane has’ also been shot down, bringing the day’s total to five destroyed. Since the commencement of hostilities, the anti-air-craft defences have accounted for eight enemy aircraft with probably one more.

The Japanese spokesman at Nanking claimed that more reinforcements had landed in Malaya. "The British so far had offered only feeble resistance," he said.

Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo have announced that Japanese landing troops in southern Malaya have broken strong resistance, penetrated enemy positions deeply, and destroyed a British lank division.

The Official German News Agency, quoting Japansc Imperial Headquarters, staled that Japanese aircraft on December 11 attacked a British convoy near Penang and sank one ship and seriously damaged four. Rangoon had its first air raid alert to-day. Fighters went up to intercept 27 Japanese bombers reported to be ap* preaching the city, but the enemy aircraft turned back. The first aid raid on Burma occurred when aeroplanes bombed a locality in the Tenasserim Division. Seven casualties and slight damage arc reported. In Friday’s raid on Penang, when 100 people were killed, British lighters shot down five enemy aircraft and the ground defences accounted for one. Six hundred women and childcn arc being evacuated from the towm. Singapore had another air raid warning to-day. and Malacca had its first warning. No bombs were dropped. More Aircraft Needed ‘‘Malaya needs more fighter and bomber aeroplanes and needs them urgently,” states the special correspondent of the Australian Associated Press, “That is the principal lesson emerging from the experience of the first four days in the Pacific war. The fighting for Malaya may develop into a race between American supply ships and the ability of the Japanese to continue their attacks on the' present scale against the Malayan aerodromes, particularly at Kola Bharu, where Hudsons, after operating as bombers, were then obliged to act as lighters. The sooner the necessity for sending clouds of aeroplanes to Malaya is realised the sooner the British fortunes on this front will change for the better.”

The first report. l : by Royal Air Force pilots of the part they took during the early stages of the Japanese dawn attack on Kota Bharu in Malaya, indicate that they went in at a height as low' as 50 feet against the enemy transports, slates the Air Ministry news service.

A force of Blenheims of the Royal Air Force and of Hudsons of the Royal Australian Air Force wrought great damage also on Japanese power-driven boats and barges. The pilots, after bombing, saw numbers of enemy soldiers struggling in the water. One pilot estimates that there were between 50 and GO armoured powerdriven boats and barges on fire in the vicinity of the shore. These power boats mounted machine-guns in turrets amidships. One Australian pilot, as he went m to attack, counted 30 men in each barge. He machine-gunned three barges from a height of between 50 and 100 feet. The Japanese soldiers crouched down in the bottom of the barges and made no effort in defence. The same pilot afterwards put an armoured power-boat out of action. Base Raided

Meanwhile, it is reported from Batavia that six Australian bombers successfully raided the Japanese air base at Tobi, between Manado and Palao. An Australian Hudson bomber stalioned in Netherlands lorritoiy sunk the Japanese schooner Nuya Maru. An official communique from Melbourne states that during the week enemy aircraft have been observed carrying out reconnaissance flights over the Bismarck Archipelago, but they disappeared before they could be intercepted. The Netherlands East Indies fighting forces’ communique slated that no hostilities occurred in Netherlands East Indies territory on Friday or Saturday. Army mobilisation was carried out smoothly. Naval forces dealt with a Japanese settlement on the east coast of Borneo, and the settlers have been interned. Speedy action has been taken in Singapore to curb food profiteers, who on Monday began charging higher prices for all types of goods. A regulation has been issued prohibiting higher prices for any articles than those ruling before December C. Large numbers of people are attempting to buy excessive quantities of food. This is also being slopped. GILBERT ISLANDS ATTACKED JAPANESE LANDINGS MADE OCEAN ISLAND BOMBED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Doc. 13. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon- P. Fraser) staled at Wellington to-day that the Japanese landed at Tarawa and Little Makin Islands in the Gilberts on December 10. Large fires wore scon at Tarawa and a number of building.-', launches, etc., were destroyed. One native is reported killed, but as far as is known the Europeans are safe, Ocean Island was bombed on December 7 and 10. An inter-island schooner was destroyed tit Tarawa, bul there were no casualties so far as is known.

FIGHTING A COMMON ENEMY KING’S MESSAGE TO ROOSEVELT LONDON. December 12. King George VI, in a special message to Mr Roosevelt, said: "We are proud to be fighting on your side against a common enemy. With God’s help the hours of darkness will be overcome.” In his reply, Mr RoosovoU said that the two nations were now lighting as comrades in arms. The forces which had plunged the world into war, however great their strength, could not prevail against the strength of three nations fighting in a just cause.