ENEMY’S ADVANCE

Grey River Argus, 19 December 1941, Page 7

ENEMY’S ADVANCE

Still Continued 'Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] SINGAPORE, December 17. The Japanese now control the coast of Malay Peninsula from Victoria Point to Penang.. The position of Penang is likely to become very difficult soon. A report from Tokio states that a .fierce Japanese air-raid destroyed the wireless station at Penang. Penang is in danger, but it is separated from the mainland by a wide and deep sea channel. Reports from the front state there is no defined line in the general military sense. The Japanese are employing infiltration technique witn considerable success. Most of toe fighting takes place at night. Imperial casualties thus- far are very light. . There are indications that the empire forces will be obliged to give further ground, and perhaps form a new line southwad of the Province of Wellesley. At present, a confused battle is taking place in Wellesley Province. In casualties the Japanese are suffering very severely, but their drive has not stopped. The Japanese are •reported to be using a type of small two-man carrier, which is easily manoeuvrable in the rubber plantations and jungle, and against which the infantry are handicapped. These carriers, however, are an easy mark for anti-tank rifles and guns. The main Japanese attack on Malaya. was launched through southern Thailand, but there is no confirmation of the report that Thai forces are helping the Japanese. There is also no truth in the report that British forces crossed the Thai border from Burma. All news from Thailand has for some time come through Japanese sources, and is unreliable. Air Hostilities AUSTRALIANS SUCCESSFUL LONDON, Dec. 17. Japanese army headquarters announced that army aeroplanes made a mass raid on bases in Burma and . Malaya, inflicting severe damage. Two transports are sunk and another heavily damaged in a raid off the north-western coast of Malaya. ±he destruction of 100 trucks is also claimed. . , , Brilliant manoeuvring enabled an R.A.F. pilot, although heavily outnumbered by the enemy, to evade a series of attacks by Messerschmitt fighters, while on reconnaissance across the Thai border. His duty—he was flying a Buffalo—was to avoid action with the enemy, and to bring back valuable information. . This he achieved, although he was attacked at least 14 times. The first encounter was with four Messerschmitts 110, flying in box formation. Later, he was followed by five Japanese naval aircraft, but was able to outpace them. He was then - attacked by three Messerschmitts 110. He dived steeply, and evaded his pursuers in the clouds. Soon afterwards, he ran into two Messerschmitts 109 and “we played tag for some minutes. I came out of cloud cover, and ran into another crowd of Messerschmitts 109. .1 took evasive action, completed the reconnaissance, and succeeded in bringing my aircraft back undamaged. He was greatly impressed by the manoeuvrability of the Buffalo. How Buffaloes of an R.A.A.B. squadron scored quick successes against enemy aircraft raiding Penang, is revealed in the pilots’ reports. One pilot said: “We had just landed at a northern station when th'e ra.’d on Penang began. We took off again 1 immediately, and intercepted three Japanese bombers. While we attacked these aircraft,,- five' or six divebombers attacked us. We let them have the works, and definitely shot down two in the first attack. A sergeant pilot in my flight attacked a dive-bomber which was trying to sit on my tail. He rolled over and disappeared. Another disappeared seawards in a long dive. We claim , these as probables.” , ~ , ■ Later, this Australian flight sighted about 15 trucks on a road, and what appeared to be two tanks under some trees. They made two attacks, and saw two large columns of ' smoke rising.