Australian Pilots First Britishers To Fire On Enemy

Northern Advocate, 9 December 1941, Page 6

Australian Pilots First Britishers To Fire On Enemy

(Received 12 Noon.) LONDON, December 8. k SINGAPORE COMMUNIQUE STATES THAT ROYAL AIR H FORCE AND AUSTRALIAN PLANES CARRIED OUT EXTENSIVE ATTACKS ON ENEMY TRANSPORTS ATTEMPTING TO LAND TROOPS ON MALAYA. CONFUSED FIGHTING CONTINUES IN THE KOTA BHARU AREA.

In addition enemy troops landed at Singora, on the Thailand coast, 100 miles from Kota Bharu. Japanese planes bombed Sungei and Patani, on the west coast of Malaya.

It is revealed in Singapore that Australian airmen in a Hudson bomber squadron at Kota Bharu put up a magnificent fight against the first Japanese landing force. They went in against the transports at masthead height and dropped their bombs with the greatest accuracy and daring. The Japanese used barges and fast motor launches, but the Australian pilots, who were the first British to fire against the enemy, strafed the landing craft with machine-guns, causing many casualties among the Japanese. The Hudsons encountered no enemy planes near Kota Bharu and left the enemy ships blazing. Colonials In “Grand Fight” ‘ • ~

An Australian flight-lieutenant reported that A.I.F. and Indian troops who were associated in the defence of ihe aerodrome, were putting up a grand fight and decimating the landing forces with machine-gun fire- The Japanese were reported to be attempting a second landing with larger forces. The Governor of the Federated Malay States (Sir Shenton Thomas) announced that the Japanese forces off Kota Bharu consisted of one cruiser, four destroyers, one armed merchantman and one transport. The main landing occurred off Singora. Royal Air Force reports say the Japanese also landed at Patani on the Thailand coast, 60 miles from Kota Bharu. from transports and destroyers. Australians First Other Singapore messages say the enemy landing near Kota Bharu means that Australian air force units are the first in action in the defence of Malaya, for Royal Air Foi’ce bomber squadrons are operating from Kota Bharu aerodrome, while the defence of the aerodrome itself is in the hands of Indian troops who have been trained for months past to repel landings such as this. Although the aerodrome is close to the coast, the attacking troops are obliged to traverse considerable areas of jungle to reach their objective. A few bombs have been dropped on island and the aerodrome at Kelantin. There have been no casualHps at the arodrome and no bombs Hkve been dropped on the naval base. W Heavy Fire Mows Down Japs. Japanese /troops have landed in north Malaya and are being engaged by the defenders. It is officially stated that the first attempted Japanese landing was made soon after 1 a.m. local time. It was repulsed by small arms fire and air action. Enemy troops succeeded in landing on a beach near Padang Stabek and were reported to be infiltrating towards Kota Bharu aerodrome, on the east coast of the Malay peninsula near the Thailand border. Land forces and aeroplanes engaged them and aeroplanes and enemy warships which attacked the town. Left Troops On Beach It was later announced from the north Malayan front that all the enemy surface craft were retiring at high speed. The few troops left on the beach were being heavily machinegunned. The Governor of the Federated Malay States (Sir Shenton Thomas) said the Japanese in the landing used one cruiser, four destroyers, one armed merchant vessel and one transport. The Associated Press correspondent at Singapore says 300 Japanese troops landed at Padang Stabek, which is 13 miles south of Kota Bharu. Two bombs fell in the centre of Singapore and others elsewhere, causing slight damage. Gunfire was reported off Mersing on the east Malayan coast 90 miles from Singapore. A Hudson plane directly hit a barge full of troops on the Kelantin River. Jap Ships Ablaze

resentatives and the Thai Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Thai troops have massed on the frontier. Reliable military observer? in close contact with Indo-China estimate Japanese troops within the colony at 57,000 and on Hainan Island at 150,000, including a division trained in landing operations and parachutists trained by the Nazis, says the Manila correspondent of the Associated Press of America.

Announcing that Japanese forces had attacked British Malaya at a point on the Kra Isthmus, the upper portion of the Malay peninsula, the Prime Minister of Australia (Mr. Curtin), said he had ordered the immediate taking of every measure to place Australia on a war footing.

Hudson bombers have attacked a large concentration of Japanese ships off the Malayan coast. ' The leading ship received a direct hit and was set on fire. Later a direct hit was scored on another vessel. Another landing has been made by the Japanese in Thailand in the Gulf of Siam, 60 miles north of the Malayan border. Their forces are being heavily attacked by British planes. Bangkok is being bombed from the air and shelled from the sea. Ten ships are reported to be off the city. Thailand Invaded Japanese troops have crossed the Thailand border “in order to maintain Thailand’s independence,” according to a Tokio broadcast heard in America.

It was added that British troops had entered Thailand through the Malay border. There was a long conference between the Japanese diplomatic rep-