IN MALAYA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 66, 19 March 1942, Page 3

IN MALAYA

JAPANESE TACTICS NEW ZEALANDER’S STORY l irst-hand details of the fighting against the Japanese in ; Malaya were given a Wellington Evening Post reporter by a New Ztaianuer who is now in the Dominion. He fought for four weeks against the invaders in Malaya until a bullet fired by a Japanese sniper in a tree wounded him in one arm and caused his withdrawal from the front line. As fighters the Japanese could hot be taken lightly, he said, and they were particularly good in covered country. The probable reason for their excellence in jungle and swamp land was that they had oeen especially trained for fighting in those conditions, and moreover they had had the advantage of moving through French Indo-China and Siam before the\ came to Malaya. The terrain in all three countries was similar. "The Japanese are fearless fighters," he said, "and not what the average person thinks they are—little live-loot-two men. The chaps we came up against were sft. Sin. or sft. 9in. and ol good physique." The invaders oi Malaya were reputed to be special troops, but he did not know how much truth there was in that. A point made by the New Zealanders was that the Japanese were poor shots with the rifle. They used a .27 calibre, which had neither the range nor the stopping power of the British .303. and their tommy guns were also 1 of .27 calibre. Yet their mortar work was very accurate. Only Japanese Tanks. “I never saw any tanks of ours, though 1 saw Japanese ones, in Malaya," he said. “We used mostly armoured cars, which lhe Japanese were able to smash up with mortars.’’ The soldier described Japanese infiltration tactics in the jungle country, in which, he said, the Japanese were They would by-pass our positions and then attack our men from the rear. The bicycles that had proved so valuable a means of transport for lhe invaders were not brought witi them but stolen from the .Malayans, .*lio owned them in huge numbers as a means of travel along the narrow jungle tracks. It was not uncommon lor a body of 200 or 300 Japanese to ride together on bicycles. The Japanese air force was a very effective striking weapon, said the New Zealander, and those who hau encountered it had a healthy respect Both planes and personnel seemed good, especially on bombing. He quoted an experience he had had while on aerodrome defence work. A. number of Japanese bombers came over at about 12,000 feet and made no trial run but let their bombs go ail together, with good effect. Similarly, he saw Hights of 27 bombers at time over Singapore, and they also released l heir bombs simultaneously. The Post’s informant had not heard oi the Japanese making use of incediary bombs, though the native quarters of Singapore and other places would have made ideal targets. The most effective enemy bomb Was of the anti-personnel type, which had a terrific blast and also scattered splinters with great penetrating power. They would pierce a quartermeh piece Gf steel. The bomb itself, however, had little penetrating power, floor of a building it struck. It would ignite anything readily inflammable in ' the vicinity, though not primarily an 1 met i.uiary bomb. The Japanese, of i 0..i:.-e also used high-explosive bombs 1 for demolition purposes. Fires were ; started in the raids on Singapore, but * Io the knowledge of the New Zea- J vo l'-i who left Singapore on Feb- ‘ ■ii; ; .r\ 4. about a fortnight before Ts ] ai! they were brought under can-Anti-aircraft gun defenc in Singa- ' )or was good, he said, but further 1 iorth it did not exist. In the north ; 00, there were not many British A igiiter planes, and the ones he did see. 1 h'ewsler Buffaloes, could not stop the ‘ Hpanese aircraft, having neither ntlk-ient ceiling nor sufficient speed 1 Jauanesp aircraft appeared to be of a ' ;ood quality. I So.iie of the Malays had und'rjot- 1 ‘diy assisted the Japanese by giving 1 !u ections to the invading troops, wiij 1 Tid them for the information, sa'.i c ne New Zealander and while some of c he natives were indifferent as to v vnothrr the British or the Japanese e vere in charge, others fought splenlicliy against lhe invaders. I-Ie men- c loned especially the Malay volunteers :1 nth whom he was associated on aero- t Irome defence. They were better a han the Malay regular, and behaved h ery well even under heavy aerial v •embardment. * s s Comnianilo Raids. Thf New Zealander said he had 1 »’ ■ ‘ workin" in Malaya since 1928. le had joined the Federated Malav ° kales Volunteers before the outbreak I I «ar. and on December 1, about a 1 reek before the war began, his unit 1 mo Used, and assigned to aero- , Irome defence. Later he and others ! 1 ilh a knowledge of the country acted 1 .< guides and interpreters for British nd Australian troops, and still later io .joined commando raiding parties ol ' ru.-i i aliens on raids behind the ap.uicse lines. 1 Describing these raids, he said that r lie party of about 30 would travel :1 i.v launch up Die coast by night and s and up river before daivn. Armed ■it Ii tommy guns and grenades they f hiding near roads and am- I lushed parties of Japanese troops and ' ransport that came along. They c mimed at least a brigadier killed in me such attack. That night they - ould resi, ttnd next day again harry he foe, after which they would withiruw by sea on the third night of the iperation. He came through these ■ommando raids successfully to be vounded in a Japanese frontal attack n lhe Selangor district in the first veek in January. The, opinion was expressed by the ( dev Zealander tiiat if the Japanese . mined a foothold in Australia they f vould find the fighting there a ver'- ' lifferent proposition from what it nad \ >een in Malaya. H instanced the use I, )f stolen bicycles by the hundred, for J ixample, as one advantage the Japan's-' enjoyed in Malaya that thev , vould not have in Australia. Another ‘ lung was that the advance guard, at s my rate, of the Japanese in Malava ( irought no food with them. They L -nr.-i.-d only ammunition and lived on , he plentiful supplies in the country, f I'hat Mould not be possible in Aus- 1 ralia. I —==__ = __ ===== . 1