MOVE FROM SUMATRA
PREPARATIONS WILL TAKE TWO WEEKS
BATAVIA. February 19. Observers in Batavia think it will take the Japanese at least two weeks to prepare for an invasion of Java from Sumatra. The airfields in south Sumatra were blown up and must be repaired. The throbbing of native drums will warn Java of the Japanese invaders' approach. Though Batavia has an efficient siren system this bush telegraph service is a safeguard in the event of the modern
appliances breaking down.
Arrivals from Palembang pay a warm tribute to the bravery of the Indonesian troops there in the face of heavy odds. Their favourite weapon is the klewang (a native sword similar to a cutlass), and they have been trained to shoot with a carbine held under the left armpit and at the same time <to swing the klewang with the right hand.
One group of 150 Indonesians slaughtered a Japanese column at least twice as large, and another group raced across an open field and wiped out a number of Japanese machinegun nests.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 44, 21 February 1942, Page 7
Word Count
174MOVE FROM SUMATRA Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 44, 21 February 1942, Page 7
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