FOR BURMA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24833, 5 February 1942, Page 5

FOR BURMA

ENEMY DRIVE NORTH HELD AT SALWEEN RIVER ANOTHER COW/OY REPORTED • ; (United Press Association) '.: .■ ;. (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) "2 .1 (Ree.-11 p.m.) LONDON, Feb, 4. The battle for Burma is taking place over a 50-mile front from the mouth of the Sal ween River ; to Paan, which it 40 mile* due north of Moulmein. Japanese attempts to cross the Salween River have . been repulsed. The enemy' attacked in barges across the swift-flowing river, but were wiped out by the forces of Lieutenant-general T. J. Hutton, general officer commanding in Burma. —'■^'Thirty'miles up-stream our-troops are still operating on the east bank of.theriver.-; Successful air attacks have been carried out on Japanese positions in this area. Last night the Japanese made their first night raid on Rangoon. The raid lasted about half an hour, the principal target apparently being the large market place. , Rangoon states that the Japanese are still *"* -numerous small islands and mud:"tb'e'ieistuary:, The; Japanese are attempting to land on BUugyuan Island from small craft, but so far without success. British bombers; and fighters'..'.-are harassing * the Japanese forces along the Salween and on the, islands.; The gun emplacement from which Martaban was shelled was knocked out. The British forces are guarding against; landings all round the southern and south-western coasts. Burmese troOps for the' first time in half a century are participating iri-Vwair.v*They;went into, action; in the withdrawal from Tenasserim, winning the highest praise from their British officers. A Chines Government spokesman, in a statement at Chungking,said that Chinese troops in Burma would soon come in contact; witti the Japanese. Asked by a press correspondent where the main body of the Chinese troops now were, General Chiang Kai-iihek replied that that would become apparent later. He would mike no other comment. J£p|nefje;:cbhyo3'. pf W ;stiips* comprising ,41 warships and transports carrying an ehtii Strait He said the Japanese, were making thorough preparations for: a;fdriye-into Burmailrom Northern Thaila concentrate at:Chlengmai, oh border of Thailand., '.■/; >. ;In the last 10 days, the Chinese spokesman added, the East China railways had been busily moving Japanese troops from Inner Mongolia and North China to Tsing-tao, where several divisions are concentrated . awaiting: transport :;. ■•■The-spokesman added that ; an. enormous, number of Japanese troops, including tank and artillery divisions, were concen:trja^ed'ihr; tlie,Shanghai:area;.- : ; \, ; ■.:. ; .

RAIDS ON JAVA PRELUDE TO INVASION? BELIEF IN BATAVIA v ; LONDON, Feb. 3. A Batavia communique states that, following the first raid on Java yesterday, when Surabaya, the key Netherlands East Indies base, was attacked, enemy air activity,: was continued today.--'':''- : , :"■'/' " '■•■■ ■ : " '' '-'{.,- The Japanese raiding Surabaya used delaled-action bombs for the first time, with the result that it has become necessary to evacuate part of the city. Although the raid was directed at the aerodrome, bombs fell in the heart of Surabaya. The damage was considerable. ' *.'■■ . - Considerable Damage - "This morning,'* states the-, coirimur nique, "26 Japanese bombers,: accompanied by many fighters, attacked aerodromes in Surabaya, Malang, and Madioen, arid dropped bombs on the village of Magetan. Rather considerable damage to material was inflicted and some persons seriously wounded. Rembang was bombed and machinegunned. Two persons were killed, three seriously . wounded, and eight wounded. Various other places-were also bombed by enemy planes, operating independently, without much success. ;- In an attack on a small .island 12 civilians were killed, five: seriously wounded, and 10 slightly wounded. Guerrilla warfare, in Minahassa continues. Local successes are being-reported in which many of the enemy were killed." A supplementary- communique states that during the "attack on Surabaya some damage was inflicted upon naval establishments and a few aircraft lying on the water. The communique adds that the concentrated; 'aijr. raids are probably:the prelude to an' attempt, at '.in vasiori.: ; Japanese 'aircraft attacking Malang used "a new technique. For. the first time fighters drew a circle of black smoke over ,trie aerodrome under a layer of clouds, thus indicating to the bombers where to unload their bombsi One grounded plane was set on fire, but the hangars were not hit. ... ..,,. splendid Morale

I KOEPANG BOMBED ten; Japanese, planes (Rec. 1 am.) CANBERRA, Feb. 4. . Japanese planes again raided Koepang at 9 o'clock yesterday morning. The Minister for Air, Mr A. S. Drakeford, making this announcement to-day, said the raid lasted for an hour. Ten enemy, machines took part. Buildings were machine-gunned, small ships attacked, and a harbour iriotor boat destroyed but no report had been received regarding the damage or casualties. The Minister for the Army, Mr F. M. Forde, said that he had received no further news of what was going on at Rabaul, although he was making every effort to that end. The Minister for Air, Mr A. S. Drakeford, announced in Canberra., today that all the mail services from Australia to Singapore Island and the Netherlands East Indies were resumed tO-day. An announcement about air mails to the Middle East and the United Kingdom would be. later JAPANESE CLAIMS OCCUPATION OF BORNEO ■ *■- : ; •.'"'■ BATAVIA, Feb. 3., The Tokio radio claims that practically the whole of Borneo, in addition to all the airfields, is now in Japanese hands: JAPAN'S DRIVE FOR OIL WASHINGTON, Feb. 3. Senator O'Mahoney told the Senate that he had information that the Japanese armies in the Netherlands East Indies were being followed by oildrilling crews, which are now endeavouring to sink new wells in the territory wrested from the Dutch where the wells were destroyed by fire.

Java, the last advanced Allied springboard in the Pacific should Singapore fall, is the world's most closely-settled country. Forty-two million people live on an island about hall the size of ,New Zealand: Thus civilian morale is a vital question. The early reports from Batavia indicate that the behaviour of those in the areas bombed to-day was splendid.. The Japanese concentrated their attacks on aerodromes, except at Magetan.but it iaunofficially„reported that some bombs fell in Surabaya city. Malang residents •wecei unaware that. their aerodrome wasjbeingbombed. :.'"'.,.' Surabaya's importance as a naval and air: base; increases as the threat to Singapore grows, and the Japanese are likely to encounter increasingly strong defences in future raids. To-day they ran the gauntlet of Allied fighters and ground defences, including mobile antiaircraft units. THAILAND DECLARES WAR <Rec. la.m.) LONDON, Feb. 4. The Quisling: Government of Thailand, which has aided the Japanese attack "on Malaya and Burma, has declared war on Britain and the United States. Thailand, however,, has for some time been regarded as enemy territory, and our. troops have been' free .to attack Thailand's forces whereever: -they have been found fighting beside the Japanese.