SEVEN NOW SUNK

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24294, 8 June 1942, Page 3

SEVEN NOW SUNK

JAPANESE SUBMARINES

ALLIED SHIP LOST ACTIONS OFF AUSTRALIA (Reed. 10.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 7 The loss of another Japanese submarine has been announced from General Mac Arthur's headquarters. It was bombed and destroyed by an Allied plane off the east coast on Saturday. This brings the Japanese submarine losses in the Australian area during the last few days to seven definitely sunk and an eighth probably destroyed. The exact time and place of the latest sinking is not given for tactical reasons, but it is believed it was off the New South Wales coast. Another Australian merchant ship has been torpedoed and sunk off the NewSouth Wales coast by a Japanese submarine. The ship broke in two and sank within a minute and only five men out of a crew of 43 have been saved. Attacker Destroyed The submarine was attacked by an Allied plane seconds after the torpedoing and is believed to have been sunk. Swooping to within 20ft. of the water the plane dropped three bombs, the third of which is said to have caused an explosion within the submarine. The five survivors from the torpedoed ship landed at an Australian port. They were rescued by a ship that was following and was within sight when the submarine was attacked. The hunt for enemy submarines lias been extended over so wide an area that the detection of any remaining submarines is confidently anticipated, if they have not fled to the safety of their own waters. Column of Water and Debris "We dive-bombed him from 700 ft. and gave him everything we had," said Flight-Lieu tenant John Hitchcock, of Sydney, the 22-year-old pilot of the R.A.A.F. bomber which destroyed a Japanese submarine off the New South Wales coast on Friday. "The submarine was practically right in front of me when I saw the wake of his periscope. It seemed too good to be true. "The submarine itself was not visible. We circled around while we got a line on him and then let go a salvo of four bombs. We scored a direct hit on the target five feet behind the periscope. A huge column of water and debris shot up into the air and then a patch of oil appeared where the submarine had been." This plane returned to patrol duties after refuelling at its base. The crew believe they saw another submarine crash-dive, but could find no later sign of it. Dutch Airman's Feat Flying-Officer W. F. Winckel, of Bandoeng, who destroyed one Japanese submarine off the coast on Friday morning, said he sighted the submarine cruising on the surface with nobody on deck, and added: "I opened the throttle and dived to within 400 ft. of it, but the bombardier did not sight it. "The submarine attempted to crashdive. I pulled the p*lane round for a second run and a stick of six heavy bombs dropped along the length of the submarine, which disappeared. Then, a few seconds later, about five feet of the submarine's bow shot to the surface and oil appeared over the sea. We cruised around for a while to make certain, but there is no doubt what happened." FIGHTING SPIRIT FLOWER OF DEMOCRACIES CANBERRA, June 0 "There is a mightier fighting force in Australia to-day than we ever imagined possible." said the Minister for the Army, Mr. F. M. Forde. "Any enemy that dares set foot on our soil will get short shrift from the (lower of the manhood of two democracies." Mr. Forde mixed this heartening statement with caution that, although the equipment position generally was improving rapidly, he was far from satisfied. Notwithstanding revolutionarv changes in the position in the last few months, he urged the "army in , overalls" to greater efforts. Only by 1 all-round co-operation, he said, could they get a 100 per cent war effort, and the' Government would not he satisfied with anything short of that. The Minister nf Labour. Mr. h. Ward, revealed that more than 40.000 skilled technicians for munitions works and the fighting forces h*ad been trained under the Commonwealth technical training scheme. The monthly output of men now exceeded 2500. compared with 1200 a year ago. and this monthly | quota was rapidlv increasing. Training had been done through more than 50 technical schools and colleges working two and three shifts a day and carrving out more than 60 special courses The whole cost was borne hy the Commonwealth, llccentlv £250.000 was made available hy the Government for the erection of an additional technical college, workshons and classrooms to provide for an expanded training programme. WARNING ACCEPTED SYDNEY. June 7 The Australian Minister for Air, Mr. A. S. Drakeford, has said that the presence of submarines in Sydney Harbour and along the coast of New South Wales must he accepted as a- grave warning that further attacks were inevitable and that although Australia's air power was growing steadily there must he no pause in the preparations to repel a widespread attack on the Commonwealth. The destruction of the Japanese submarines represented a great success for the Allied forces. The occasion was a notable combined effort in which Australian and Netherlands pilots played a prominent part. MAY BE DECISIVE WAR PRODUCTION IN INDIA LONDON, Juno 0 The American technical mission, which has been in India for some weeks for the purpose of discovering the extent to which India's war production* can be developed with American aid. has issued a preliminary report, the e-cneral tenor of which can be summed up in one sentence. "In India, although much has been accomplished, especially during the last year, much remains to be done before complete mobilisation of India's resources is attained." Among the report's suggestions for the attainment of complete mobilisation are: (1) That mass production methods must be introduced, and (2) that immediate and systematic steps , m ,st bo taken •to deal with the problems imposed by the war on the transport and communication systems. The mission says it was impressed with the good quality and excellent potentialities of Indian labour, and expressed the opinion that the labour training programme of the Government of India was well conceived and ably directed, but required considerable expansion. The report concludes with the belief that "The extent to which India is to aid the United Nations in the equipment of a formidable Indian army —an asmv much larger than that wlucii exists at' present—may perhaps prove a decisive factor in the war." ENEMY OVER ENGLAND LONDON. June 7 Enemy raiders wore over several districts in south-east England to-day. The attack continued for some time and a large number of incendiaries were dropped, British anti-aircraft guns put up a great barrage. There were no enemy aircraft over England last night.