HONOLULU BOMBARDED

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21598, 8 December 1941, Page 6

HONOLULU BOMBARDED

4.30 O’CLOCK EDITION

HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE REPORTED JAPANESE TAKE CONTROL OF SHANGHAI WAKE ISLAND SAID TO HAVE BEEN CAPTURED NEW YORK, Dec. 7 It has been announced that the Japanese have bombed the seaside resort of Honolulu, with heavy loss of life and extensive damage to property. Honolulu, with a population of about 100,000, is the capital of Hawaii. A message from China states that the Japanese have taken over full control of Shanghai, including the famous International Settlement. Another message, which has not been confirmed, says that the Japanese landed superior forces at Wake Island, an American base, midway between Pearl Harbour and Japan, and have taken the island.

British Battleships in Action Imperial He?dquarters m Tokio has announced that a naval battle is in progress in the Western Pacific between British and Japanese ships. Japanese aircraft bombed the Hawaiian Islands. A total of 144 people were killed and 800 wounded by the bombing of Oahu Island, Hawaii. A Japanese aircraft-carrier has been sunk off Honolulu. Wake Island, 2000 miles due west cl Hawaii, has been occupied by the Japanese. In a raid on an airfield near Honolulu 350 people were killed. Fires have been started in the city as a result rji the Japanese attacks. Japanese Losses As a result of anti-aircraft and naval action off Hawaii, six Japanese aircraft and four submarines have been sunk. The American Naval Board has announced that Japanese submarines are present in strength in the Eastern Pacific. Rounding Up Japanese Mr Early said he could not confirm the reported naval engagement oil Hawaii. He adaed that secret service agents have been ordered to take all press credentials from Japanese correspondents at Washington. 'lhe federal Bureau of Information announced that it is completely mobilised and is ready to deal with Japanese espionage and sabotage, 'lne entire staff of the Bureau is awaiting orders to round up Japanese aliens. The Army and Navy on the Pacific seaboard have sprung to a war basis.

HEAVY AIR BATTLE LASTED THREE HOURS UNDER AMERICAN CONTROL •(United press .\ssn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright, WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 The N.B.C. at Honolulu reported that an air battle has been going on for nearly three hours since the first attack. The Honolulu broadcaster anounced: “The Army and Navy apparently now have the air and sea under their control.” The first news of the attack came when a private plane-owner reported that he was machine-gunned by Japanese planes. His craft was damaged, but he managed to land. He said the attackers came from the south. WITHOUT WARNING TREACHERY OF JAPAN DAMAGE TO BATTLESHIPS (United Press Assn.—Elec. TeL Copyright; (Received Dec. 8, 3.15 p.m.) . WASHINGTON, Dec. 7. Mr Roosevelt’s secretary, Mr Stephen Early, said the Japanese attacks were made wholly without warring, when both nations were at peace, and were delivered within an hour or so of the time the Japanese envoys called at the State Department to deliver Japan’s reply to Mr Cordell Hull’s note of November 26. The Honolulu correspondent of the American Press reports that Japanese bombers scored hits at the Hickman Field military airport and another at Pearl Harbour, where they set oil tanks ablaze. American anti-aircraft fire caused a terrific din. The sky with filled with American battle craft. The N.B.C. broadcast from Honolulu states that the battleship Oklahoma was set on fire. It is reported, without confirmation, that one ship in Pearl harbour is lying on its side and four others were set on fire.

Aerial dog-fights are still in progress over Honolulu.

NEW ZEALAND FIRE

TRIBUTE TO ACCURACK ESCAPE FROM GERMANS l (N.Z.E.P. omclal .News Service) * (Received Dec. 8, 3.15 p.m.) r CAIRO, Dec. 7 The weather conditions have improved as the New Zealand forces take the opportunity for reorganisation, with cleaning-up operations and mobile patrol activity continuing. A tribute to the accuracy of the New Zealand artillery is contained in the story of parties who escaped from custody of the enemy at Sidi Rezegh. Two Australian officers who were captured by an enemy raiding column were taken to the New Zeaand hospital at Sidi Rezegh. The enemy had left the hospital intact but ringed with guns, as they defended the position on the assumption that the New Zealanders would not fire near the hospital. The New Zealand artillery found perfect range and made the position untenable by destroying the enemy batteries and the Germans withdrew, taking the hospital staff and patients as prisoners, together with a number of prisoners held at the hospital. This party took over a large vehicle and the Australian officers, several South Africans and the majority of the New Zealanders escaped through the enemy lines.

JAPANESE LIES MR HULL’S INDICTMENT CROWDED WITH DISTORTIONS j (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyrignt) WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 Mr Roosevelt has ordered the Army and Navy to carry out undisclosed orders prepared for the defence of the United States. White House announced that a lumber-laden transport was torpedoed 1300 miles west of San Frant cisco. I The State Department announced j that Mr Cordell Hull informed the ! Japanese envoys that the document presented by them was crowded with infamous falsehoods and distortions. After reading the Japanese reply Mr Hull said to Admiral Nomura: “I must say that in all my conversations ! with you during the last nine months ( I have never uttered one word of un- ■ truth. This is absolutely born out by the records. “In all my 50 years of public service I have never seen a document more crowded with intamous falsehoods and distortions, and on a scale so huge that I had not imagined until today that any Government on this planet was capable of uttering them.” CONTROL OF SHANGHAI MARINES TAKE OVER BIND BRITISH GUNBOAT SUNK (United Press Assn.—tiee. Tei. Cupjrignt) (Received Dec. 8, 3.15 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 The Shanghai correspondent of the United Press says that Japanese marines took over the Bund after heavy gunfire had been heard across the Whangho River. A foreign gunboat, believed to be H.M.S. Petrel, was burned and sunk while Japanese planes patrolled Shanghai.

“GIVEN A HEADACHE” ROYAL AIR FORCE ACTIVE (United press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyrignt) (Received Dec. 8, 3.15 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 7 Bombing and machine-gunning for nearly an hour in an attack in the early hours of the morning, naval aircraft caused much damage to a large concentration of enemy mechanical transport in the desert beyond Sidi Rezegh, says the Air Ministry News Service. One pilot said: “It was well after midnight when we found them and we must have given them a nasty headache. We had been looking for them, but I was beginning to think that our target had escaped us when I spotted what appeared at first sight to be a succession of forts. Instead of forts, however, we saw on closer observation that the Germans had drawn up for the night and formed the lorries into six or seven big squares. What a dream of a target for us! We were pounding them with bombs for half-an-hour before they managed to rig up some sort of gun and fire back at us. “Then we gave them a dose of machine-gunning. They tried to drive the lorries away. One was on the move when first smoke and then flames burst from it. I believe we must have burnt up a good number of them.”

These naval bombers have been attacking mechanical transport, tanks and aerodromes night after night since the offensive in Libya began.

One night, after one section had been bombing an enemy aerodrome, there was a call for them to get busy among a concentration of tanks and motor transport. Armourers and ground crews worked like Trojans in the darkness and as a result every possible aircraft took part in the extremely important operation. More Destructive Raids

A Royal Air Force Middle East communique states: In co-operation with the Imperial land forces bombers aircraft of the Royal Air Force, the South African Air Force and the Free French Air Force made a series of successful attacks on enemy mechanised units and other objectives in the El Adem area. Direct hits were obtained on one group of tanks and other bombs fell among a number of tank carriers on to which tanks were being loaded. Considerable damage was caused. A large building at El Adem, which was being used by the enemy as an anti-aircraft battery, was completely demolished. Our fighters were active yesterday and enemy motor transport on Derna-Tobruk road was successfully attacked. In a raid on the Jedabya aerodrome three CR42's and one 579 were destroyed and other enemy aircraft were damaged. *• Dive-bombers and lorries on the landing ground at Tmimi were also damaged. Off the North African coast on December 5 our bombers obtained a number of direct hits on enemy motor vehicles. A violent explosion occurred on board a ship and a fire broke out. When our aircraft left the vessel was burning fiercely and was almost stationary.