STOP PRESS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 24 January 1942, Page 8

STOP PRESS

i NGAPORE, Jan 23—The withdr; val of our troops south of the Se. .'mat river was necessitated by rtr .g Japanese pressure being maintai td in the Muar sector which me .it a threat of these forward troops bei g cut off, says the official Australia; war correspondent. The withdrr -a l was accomplished m stages wit i successive bodies of men falling oa- . through each other. Two bridges ovf the river were destroyed The Au ralian infantry and artillery who foi: hi the initial aetion in the Muar sec ar are still holding the enemy, but the - position has become somewhat ser us owing to Japanese infiltration pa: them with the subsequent blocking of the road leading back U.P.A. j JAPANESE LOSE 20 PLANES I 7-NDON, Jan. 23.—1 tls irfiziaHy, ar.nunced in Rangoon that British! am American, planes smashed Japan- ! ese mass air raids by over fiU Japanese ffanes in the Rangoon area to-day anc shot down 20 Japanese machines. The Associated Press correspondent m Rangoon says that the Japanese i ecu inue to infiltrate in the frontier, are i east of Moulmein. A concentratlori of forces, including elephants, in i Thailand on the Slaween vO east of j Pap in, has been observed The eoua- j r,ry west of Papun i* ilat and alluvial, j elm inating surprise tactics but offermg no topographical obstacles to a drive to cut the Burma Road -U.P.A