RUTHLESS ACTION BY JAPANESE

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23589, 17 March 1942, Page 5

RUTHLESS ACTION BY JAPANESE

EVACUATION PLANE ATTACKED DUTCH PILOT’S STORY PERTH. March 16. The story of an inhuman and ruthless attack by Japanese pilots on a Douglas commercial airliner which wqs evacuating 12 persons near Broome on the day that the town was raided by sthc Japanese, was told by a Dutch Air Lines pilot, W. Smirnoff, who is Int present in a Perth hospital with four bullet wounds. He said that the aeroplane was attacked 60 miles north of Broome, I'our of the passengers died cither from wounds or privations , , Three Japanese fighters attacked th.. defenceless aeroplane, Smirnoff was shot through both arms, but managed to land the aeroplane on the beach, where it burst into flames. ‘ln spite of our terrible plight, those Japanese fiends went on machine-gunning ns and finally left us to die,” he said “A woman was twice badly wounded Our mechanic had a shocking wound m a knee. I bad four bullets t humph my left arm and one through my right log Both the woman and a flying office,- of the Dutch Air Force wno was also severely wounded, died, “I scut three men to look for water, j They were away eight hours and rei turned without any. . [ ‘‘The next day a Japanese flymgboat passed over and dropped live bombs on us. Another party was sent for water, searched for 24 hours, and came back without any. .... “The mechanic died on the third day, bv which time wc were nearly all finished. However, we managed to distil some water from sea water I then sent a party (our to try to help. They'wore away 72 hours when, to niw great joy. a Royal Australian Air Force aeroplane flew over and dropped food, medicine, water, cig«uctlcs. and also a message saying that a rescue parly was on the way. We were taken to the Beagle Bay Mission and made very comfortable. “My view of the Japanese airmen jg that they arc not human. They are beasts,” said Smirnoff. GOVERNMENT IN BRITAIN SPEECH BY MAYOR OF BIRMINGHAM LONDON. March Hi. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham iMr W, Martinean’), in a speech, said: “Vve are not lighting this war to install gauleitcrs nor to pul a Gestapo m charge of Britain. The menace to Britain comes not solely from Germany. U comes from the gentlemen of London and their local organisation who would impose on Birmingham and other cities a form of government Which is irresponsible, anonymous, and not as efficient as the municipality 11fct '"6ur system of local democratic government is attacked by people anxious to substitute for a free institution vested interests and bureaucratic control. We will not surrender our democratic rights to any imposed on us without our consent. ’ DEATH IX PLANE CRASH LEADER OF MILITARY MISSION LONDON, March 15. It i~ announced from Chungking to-night that Major-General Lancelot Dennys, head of the British Military Mission in China, was killed in an aeroplane crash, near Kunming, the Chinese terminus of the Burma Road. Major-General Dennys went to Chungking in January of last year. Before that he commanded a brigade on the Indian frontier. Thirteen other persons also lost their lives in the crash. They included Mr P. J. Russell, of the British Embassy, Mr Perm Lynch. American financial adviser to the Chinese Government, and members of the American military mission to Chungking headed by General Magruder. Mr Philip Fogarty, a former British High Commissioner in Burma, was injured. The American pilot, Scott, who was killed, and the wrecked aeroplane, took part ip daring exploits in the evacuation of civilians from Hong Kong during the siege.