MADRAS RAIDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24243, 8 April 1942, Page 5

MADRAS RAIDS

TWO PORTS BOMBED JAPANESE" PLANES ONLY SLIGHT DAMAGE (Reed. 0.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 7 Japanese aircraft yesterday raided Vizagapatam and Cocanada, two important seaports on the coast of Madras. The damage and casualties were slight. A communique issued in New Delhi states: — "Early on Monday it became apparent that an enemy naval force, including an aircraft carrier, was operating in the Bay of Bengal. Several at-

.tacks had been made, against merchant ships by both surface craft and aircraft. During the morning and again in the afternoon Vizagapatam Harbour was bombed by a small number of aircraft, causing slight damage in the harbour area. Cocanada also was bombed. The casualties were slight." The raids were not on a largo scale, compared with the attack on Colombo yesterday. Vizagapatam is a town of 40,000 inhabitants about 400 miles north of Madras. Cocanada, which is 300 miles north of Madras," has a population of 54,000. The highly effective co-operation between the defending fighter aircraft and the ground guns is regarded in London as one of the most satisfactory features of the Japanese fiasco at Colombo, says the British official wireless. Ii; other places this difficult cooperation has taken time to perfect, but the Ceylon Command evidently put the lessons learned elsewhere to excellent use from the very beginning.

AUSTRALIAN FRONT FAR-REACHING BOUNDARIES AID FOR NEW ZEALAND MELBOURNE, April 7 The provision of the Defence Act restricting compulsory military service to Australia and its territories will not be allowed to hinder General MacArthur in disposing of the Australian forces under his command with the utmost freedom. It can now be stated authoritatively that the Government will regard as territories of Australia, for the purposes of the Defence Act, any territories which are occupied by Australian forces for the purpose of resisting Japan, and which consequently come under the Australian Hag. The Government believes that there can be no doubt about Parliamentary approval of the steps designed to push the enemy so far away from Australia that he would have no chance of an effective attack. It is also convinced that the Australian people are thinking to-day in terms of allied necessity rather than of purely selfish Australianism. It is pointed out that if, for example. New Zealand were attacked, it would be unthinkable for Australia to withhold the maximum assistance involving the use of any reinforcements she might require. It was emphasised that no immediate use of more Australian troops outside Australian territory could be expected.

ATROCITIES REPORTED FATE OF AUSTRALIANS JAPANESE' IN NEW BRITAIN LONDON, April 7 More atrocities by the Japanese are reported, the victims on this occasion being 60 Australian officers and men taken prisoner after the occupation of New Britain. Many of them are said to have been bayoneted after their hands had been tied behind their backs. The Australian Army Minister, Mr. F M. Forde, said to-ciay that he had asked senior Army officers Avho had returned from New Britain for a report. In the meantime, he said, he was not prepared to comment.