The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-02-09

! arranged taCClcS, shortening tneI
line while forward sortieS carried
out delaying actions he said.
A section of the Chinese volunteer
corps, the spokesman revealed, wa.
battling the Japanese landing group!
but most of the defense was in the
hands of imperial troops well &C
quainted with Japanese tactics af-
ter weeks of fighting in Malaga.
The spokesman noted the Japa-
nese had preceded their landing or
Singapore island with diversion
the occupation of Pulau Ubin islano
at the eastern mouth of Johore
Straits. Meantime, the japanese
were concentrating their forces al
the other side of Singapore for the
main attack.
The army spokesman said the Sec
ton in which the landing was ef-
fected a regin of low mangrove
swamps, tangled jungles and marsh
es, offers natural advantages tl
both the attackers and the defend
erS.
There is plenty Of natural COW
err" he said, land two converging
creeks provide defensive facilities
which have enabled our forces tx
concentrate on shortened Strate-
gic line"
Because of the terrain the open
ing phase of the battle was de-
scribed as a fight, for the most part
between light scouting forces and
specially trained shock troops.
I visited headquarters of the Aus
tralian imperial forces and found
the army commandly calmly direct
ing the disposition of forces to meet
the Japanese attack.
Japs Well Protected
The Japanese troops landed from
invasion craft between II O'Clock
last night and a. m. today, pro-
tected by an earth shaking artillery
bombardment, the communique said
At daybreak great fleets of Japanese
fighter and bombing planes came to
their support, raining bombs and
machine gun bullets into the i'm
perial lines.
Shaking through the sWampy jun
gle along the west coast from the
Kranji river southwards, the Japa-
nese started to push back the i'm
perial troops at some points and to
filter in toward the interior as they
had filtered all the way down the
Malay Peninsula.
1t was then that strong imperial
forces were thrown into offensive
action. -...-..
Screaming japanese dive bombers
Joined bigger planes and wasp-hke
fighters in bombing and machine
cunning the imperial lines in the
emperor's shock troops path, and
British Hurricane fighters went into
the fight.
They shot down three Japanese
planes in the early stages, probably
doWned three others and damaged
ID, the communicate said.
In the first Japanese plane fleet
one army-97 was destroyed and two
army-97 bombers, one navy-O fight
er and three other two motoreo
bombers were damaged, it was as
serted.
In a second raid, two japanese
planes were destroyed and sever
damaged.
On a later patrol British plane.
wrecked a japanese truck in a ma.
chine gun attack on road transport
the communique said.
70 Jap Planes Down
1t was added that to date 70 jap.
anese planes had been shot dowr
and u more probably DESTROYED
since Japanese attacks on the islane
started.
AS the Imperial forces fought thu
japanese on the nortsWest coas
other Imperials faced the Japanes,
who yesterday lad occupied de.
serted, unfortified Pulau Ubin (Ubir
1sland) half a mile off the north
east coast of Singapore.
The general headquarters com
munique, one of the longest of tn,
campaign, said:
IAN enemy landing from boat
on the northwest coast Of the islant
took place between Sungei (river
Kranji and Pasir Laba between 800
I'D hours last night and 0l0O q
this morning.
1.-THE landing was preceded by ,
heavy artillery bombardment Of on
| forward positions in this area an,
from daybreak as supported by con
siderable numbers of fighter an,
bomber aircraft.
"Our forward troops were pushe,
back at some places and there ha
been some enemy infiltration east
wards.
offensive action has been takel
to mop up the enemy. The result
of this action have not yet BEEF
| received.
elsewhere in the island tn