RUSHED INTO BREACH

Southland Times, Issue 24648, 21 January 1942, Page 5

RUSHED INTO BREACH

Australian Troops

In Action

MELBOURNE, January 20.

Major-General H. Gordon Bennett, commanding the Australians in Malaya, cabled Mr J. M. Forde, the Army Minister, reporting that the Australian Imperial Force in the Moar river sector had thrown back the Japanese spearhead. “Australian Imperial Force troops were rushed to the Moar river front after Indian troops had. been forced to give ground under intense enemy pressure. The Australians beat off repeated Japanese attacks and are holding their position.” A communique issued earlier in Singapore states: “The enemy main-

tained pressure on the Moar and Segamat fronts. In the Moar area the enemy succeeded in infiltrating a number of troops southwards in the coastal belt. There has been some withdrawal of our troops to meet the movement. “In the morning Far East Command aircraft carried out heavy bomb and machine-gun attacks on concentrations of enemy transport on roads in the Moar river area. Vessels and barges were bombed and machine-gunned. Our aircraft were attacked by enemy fighters which, in turn, were intercepted by our fighters. In the ensuing engagements one enemy aircraft was destroyed, one more probably destroyed and one damaged. Three of our planes are missing. “It is now confirmed that during yesterday’s raids on Singapore one enemy aircraft was shot down, in addition to the two reported. Fifty-six were killed and 135 injured in yesterday’s air raids. The majority were civilians.”

ACTION DESCRIBED Yesterday’s action near Moar was one of the mqft vital battles of the whole campaign, says the official Australian war correspondent. The enemy had i effected a landing in some strength with tanks and if he had succeeded in I advancing it would have cut the main road running to our forward troops further north. The action proved a triumph for the anti-tank gunners. Contact was first made with the Japanese by the infantry at dusk on Sat- | urday night. The artillery kept up fire on the roads, holding the Japanese stationary until dawn, when light Japanese tanks came down the road. Anti-tank guns which were placed in a position dominating a cutting in the read held fire until the first of the six tanks was only 30 yards away. A direct hit caused it to burst into flames and the others piling up behind it were hit one after the other. As the mem-

bers of the crews left alive got out of their burning tanks supporting Australian infantry picked them off.

Meanwhile, four more tanks some distance behind the original six were knocked off, making a total of 10 destroyed. The artillery was putting up a huge barrage along the road, making it impossible for the Japanese to get any transport forward. However, their troops came on through the rubber trees and towards 10 a.m. it was realized that the Australians were more or less surrounded. Behind them the Japanese felled trees, blocking the road and preventing our carriers from coming forward. There was little actual hand-to-hand fighting at this period but there were frequent exchanges of mortar and artillery fire. About 4 p.m. the roar of Bren carriers told of reinforcements. Behind the carriers came fresh infantry sweeping through the rubber plantations and mopping up the Japanese.