SWIFT ATTACK

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24189, 3 February 1942, Page 5

SWIFT ATTACK

BASES IN ISLANDS

AMERICANS STRIKE

ENEMY CRAFT SUNK

KEY POINTS BATTERED

(Reed. 7.35 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 A surprise attack was made by United States warships and aeroplanes on Japanese naval and air bases in the Marshall and Gilbert

Islands. They inflicted great damage on shore installations and air bases and sank many enemy fleet auxiliary vessels. A United States Navy Department announcement said the raid was made on five bases in the Marshall Islands and on Makin Island, in the Gilbert Group. Rear-Admiral Chester Nimitz, Com-mander-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, reported that no large enemy combat vessels were found, but many enemy fleet auxiliaries were sunk, beached or otherwise damaged extensively. Japanese military installations on shore were hit hard by naval aircraft and shellfire. Many enemy aeroplanes were destroyed both on the ground and in the air. The American aircraft struck at the enemy positions and ships with bombs, torpedoes and gunfire. At the same time the United States ships bombarded the enemy's key shore positions. Two American surface vessels suffered minor damage from near misses by bombs. Eleven American aircraft have not returned from the attack. The total.losses of personnel are slight. The area of the operations is approximately 2000 miles south-west of Pearl Harbour and about the same distance north-east of Queensland. Makin Island, which is British territory, has been occupied by the Japanese since December 7.

NEW PRESIDENT

ELECTION IN CHILE

(Herd. 10.20 p.m.;> SANTIAGO, Feb. 1 The new President of Chile is Senor Juan Antonio Rios, Democratic candidate, who gained a comfortable victory over the rightist. General Carlos Ibanez. The former polled 225,000 votes and General Tbanez 175,000. The election is considered a setback for the antidemocratic elements, since General lbanez had the support of all Chilean organisations. It is expected that under its new President Chile will implement the decisions reached at the recent PanAmerican conference in Rio de Janiero, especially that relating to the breaking off of" diplomatic relations with the Axis.

INDIA'S WAR EFFORT

FULL CO-OPERAtIQN URGED (Reed. 7.40 p.m.) MADRAS, Feb. 2 Dr. Varadarajulu Naidu, secretary of the all-India Hindu Mahasabha, in a speech, said: "The Mahasabha's policy is absolute unconditional co-operation with Britain in defending India against foreign aggression and interna] disorder. It is suicidal to talk of independence as a condition of Indian to Britain's war effort," A former Congress Minister, addressing the Hindustan conference at New Delhi, said territorial integrity and the continuity of institutional life and the freedom of India were bound up with victory for the democracies. The Congress should form a Coalition Government pledged to the war effort in the provinces or get out and allow others to do so.

ALIENS IN AMERICA

1,100,000 TO REGISTER (Reed. 10.20 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Feb 1 The Attorney-General Mr. Biddle, warned 1,100,000 Axis aliens by radio that they must register have their fingerprints taken daring February or face internment for the duration of the war. Mr. Biddle explained that it was purely a safety measure to protect the country against the small minority of alien enemies as well as to protect the great majority of aliens at present under suspicion.

NEW BOMBER

INCREASE IN AUSTRALIA

(Heed. 11.25 p.m.) MELBOURNE, Feb. 2 The first results of the reorganisation of the Aircraft Production Commission were announced by the Prime Minister, Mr. J. Curtin, to-day, when he said the War Cabinet had given authority for an increased Beaufort building programme, and also to embark upon the production of a new type of bomber aircraft. The immediate cost of the new programme is a little more than £5.000,000. The new bomber will be of Australian design, and will be made almost entirely from Australia's resources.

MORE SABOTAGE

(Reed. 11.25 p.m.) JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 2 Further acts of sabotage are reported in the Free State of Northern Cape Province, where telegraph and telephone lines were cut. Communications between Johannesburg, Capetown, Kiraberley, East London and Port Elizabeth were interrupted for some hours.