DEFENCE GROWS STRONGER

Southland Times, Issue 24649, 22 January 1942, Page 5

DEFENCE GROWS STRONGER

INVADERS HELD IN MALAYA

HEAVY RAID ON SINGAPORE

(Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, January 20. No fresh claims to further advances in Malaya are made by the Japanese. This probably indicates that the invaders are meeting with greater resistance, and also that their efforts to land fresh troops in Johore are being hampered by the air activities of the Allies. Successful attacks have been made on enemy barges. Royal Air Force bombers, escorted by fighters, attacked Meshed aerodrome, destroying two enemy planes and probably a third, and damaging another. One Royal Air Force plane is missing. Singapore had three alerts on Tuesday morning. It is reported that 60 raiders participated in the first attack. Terrific detonations shook the town. Two of the raiding bombers were destroyed, and. three others were probably destroyed. It is officially announced that 50 people were killed and 150 wounded in the raid. The Saigon radio declared that Japanese reconnaissance pilots reported the arrival at Singapore of three 30,000-ton battleships. It is not know whether they were British or American. Rangoon radio announced that Siamese troops had crossed the Burma border north of Miyawaddy. RAID ON RABAUL The raid on Rabaul, New Guinea, reported yesterday, was carried out by 100 flying boats. The raiders set fire to a merchant vessel in the harbour and damaged wharves and civil defences. Eleven people were killed. Three of the raiders were shot down arid several were damaged. The defending forces lost several planes.