Evening star., 1942-01-24
Invasion Feared
As Foe Lands on
Outer Islands
BY the Associated Press.

BY The Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan.
24.-AuStralia mobilized her
home defenses and hastened the
marshalling of her man power
today under the urgency of an
invasion menace as Japanese
forces, landed under the big guns
of a strong naval squadron, ap-
parently were in control of Ra-
baul, capital of the Australian
inundated island of New Britain.
War Minister Francis M. Forde
announced that home defenses were
being mustered and that the draft
ing Of married men under the age
of IS and unmarried men under As
was being accelerated.
He previously had announced the
landing on New Britain, an impor-
tant link in the chain of outer
islands protecting the Australian
mainland. following thrusts which
gave the japanese footholds on New
Guinea to the west and at Kieta,
on the tip of the Solomon Islands
to the east.
Immediate action must be taken
to place every unit on war footing
at this time, when the safety of the
nation is paramount" the War Min
lister declared.
individual Australians who are
prepared for strong action will
get it."
Regulations were expected Mon
day requiring aliens and refugees
to register for military service and
giving them two weeks in which to
volunteer before being drafted.
New Appeal to Roosevelt.
Important decisions concerning
defense measures were reported
taken following a meeting of the
War Cabinet and the chiefs of staffs
of the armed services today.
AS the result of failure to receive
replies from President Roosevelt and
Prime Minister Churchill to earlier
urgent appeals for strong air and
naval support in the Southwestern
Pacific, further appeals were dis
patched to Washington and London.
These messages, it was under
stood, were the result Of communi-
cations from the armed services this
morning which detailed specific re-
quests for equipment of various
sorts, including bombers, fighting
aircraft and naval units.
GA London broadcast, heard by
N. B. c., said Australian troops
on the island of Bougainville.
where Kieta is situated, had
made contact" with the invad-
ers. but gave no hint of the di-
rection the fighting was taking)
Mr.. Forde said he had been ad-
vised by the commandant at Port
Moresby, New Guinea. that IL jap
anese merchant vessels-presum-
ably tranSports-had entered Ra-
baul harbor under the protection
of three cruisers. a destroyer and
an aircraft carrier lying off shore
He declared there was no indi-
cation that fighting now was going
on at Rabaul, but said Australian
forces probably were continuing re-
sistance in other parts of the island.
No direct news had been received
here from Rabaul since pm.
Thursday, when a radio flash said
q fleet of Japanese vessels had been
sighted IS miles offshore. Rabaul
previously had suffered two heavy
Japanese air raids.
The progress of the japanese in
vasion thrust against New Guinea
still was not clear. but Mr.. Forde
said landings apparently had been
made at several places on the
island-which is part Australian and
part Dutch.
Reuters News Agency reported
that Japanese imperial head
quarters announced last night the
landing of Japanese forces at
dawn yesterday near Rabaul and
at Kavieng, New Ireland.)
The new landings gave the Jap
anese bombing bases within 800
miles of the Australian mainland
and added grim emphasis to Mr..
Fordes assertion, broadcast yester-
day to the commonwealth, that the
(see AUSTRALIA. Page ADD