ALLIED RAID

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24216, 6 March 1942, Page 5

ALLIED RAID

ISLAND IN PACIFIC JAPANESE REPORT DAMAGE ADMITTED LONDON. Mar. 5 About 30 Allied aircraft at dawn yesterday attacked the Japanese Marcus Island, in the Pacific, about half-way between the Marshall Islands and the Japanese mainland, states the Domei (Japanese) news agency. The news agency claims that some of the raiders were shot down, but admits that damage was caused. There is no statement about any such attack from Allied sources. Marcus Island is about 2500 miles west of Hawaii and about 1500 miles south-east of Tokio, the capital city of Japan. It is north-west of the Marshall Islands, south of which lie the Gilbert Islands, in the vicinity of which

two groups of Japanese aeroplanes attacked an American aircraft carrier, 16 of the 18 attackers being shot down. This action was reported yesterday, although the date of the attack was not given. The United States squadron operating west of Gilbert Islands consisted, in addition to the aircraft carrier, of cruisers and destroyers. COMMANDS IN INDIES ADMIRAL'S SPECIAL TASK (Reed. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, Mar. 4 Upon the departure from Java for India of General Sir Archibald Wavell, says the British official wireless, the Netherlands Government instructed the Governor-General of the Netherlands East Indies to transfer his command of the fighting forces to Lieuten-ant-General H. ter Poorten, who will command the land forces o.f the Indies, and acting-Rear-Admiral van Staveren. who will command the naval forces. Vice-Admiral C. E. L. Helfrich, actingCommander of the Allied-naval forces under the now dissolved A.B.D.A. command, has been entrusted with a special mission. ALWAYS ON TOP AUSTRALIA NOT BEATEN SYDNEY, Mar. 5 Major-General Gordon Bennett, commander of the Australians in Malaya, to-day described as defeatism in its worst form the disposition in some quarters to imagine that Australia was beaten before the battle began. Battles were never won that way, he said No matter how black things were in Malaya the "Diggers" always kept their tails up. General Bennett assured Australian parents that he had every confidence that Australian prisoners of war would be treated quite well by the Japanese. USE OF SINGAPORE (Reed. 7.15 p.m,) LONDON, Mar. 4 The German radio claims that the first three Japanese supply ships have reached Singapore since the Japanese occupation. It says a regular airline will be inaugurated soon between Tokio and Singapore. NEW GUINEA RAID (Reed. 12.15 a.m.) SYDNEY, Mar. 5 Two minor raids were made by Japanese aircraft on Port Moresby, New Guinea, early to-day. Damage was caused to buildings, but there were no casualties.