The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-01-14
BRITISH AIDED
 BY HEAVY RAINS
(Continued from Page D


 | perial forces were withdrawing slow ly and stubbornly, destroying every thing useable as they retired, before the relentless Japanese attack.
 It took this correspondent twt hours to drive four miles through the storm, and this morning roae travel was difficult because O. wrecked or standed busses and cars many of them victims of accident. in the impenetrable blackness ol the blinding lightning.
 North of Singapore
 The rain gave the imperial forces preparing for finish fight in Jo. hore province immediately north o1 Singapore Island, precious hours ir which to prepare their defense, anc it gave the men at the front hours in which to complete demolitions and, disengaging themselves from the thrusting Japanese advanced forces, to prepare 8 stiffer delaying line.
 Today's Malaga command com nunique made no reference to land l fighting but said:
 "Ihe enemy air force which raid- ed Singapore yesterday consisted of approximately 50 heavy bombers es- corted by 20 naval fighters. "The formation, which approached at high altitude, was intercepted by our fighters, which destroyed one enemy aircraft. Three more prob ably were destroyed and s<leral others were damaged.
 Reports now received show that damage was small and that casual l ties in killed and wounded were about 55.
 There was an alert in Singapore this morning. So far no reports have been received that bombs were dropped"
 Advances in Libya Cairo, Jan. 14.-UP)-BritiSh inn perials have made further satisfac- tory progress" in attacks on German and Italian troops attempting to make a stand in and around Fl Agheila on the Cyrenaica-T -Tripoli- tania frontier in Libya, British gen. eral headquarters from the middle east said today.
 Following their capture of Solum on the EgyptLibya frontier, the inn perials, supported by artillery, the navy and the Royal Air Force, con- tinued intensive bombardments on Axis forces still entrenched in Hal faya (Hellfire) Pass near by.
 The commun!que disclosed that the Scottish troops which took So- lum and captured $50 prisoners, about half of them German, sus- tained only about 100 casualties.
 The battle against Gen. Erwin Rommel's German Africa corps in and south of Fl Agheila was contin- ued despite increased Axis air &C., ton which developed yesterday, headquarters said. RommeI and his German and Italian forces withdrew from Agedabia to E Agheila where vast salt marshes gave him more favorable defense positions.
 In reporting further satisfactory progress" against the Main Axis forces, the communique said increas- Ing pressure had been brought to bear lon the enemy rear guard dis posed to cover the main body which now is in and south of Fl Agheila." Jap Eombers Return Rangoon, Burma, Jan. 14-CUP) Japanese planes returned today to bomb objectives north of Rangoon.
 A noon military bulletin said only that Rangoon had "an early morn ing air raid alert"
 It appeared to independent observ- CTS, however that the number of Japanese planes was larger than usual, and that anti-aircraft fire was heavier.
 British planes struck at Japanese bases in Thailand yesterday and the Japanese bombed points in Burma, but the balance was in favor of the British.
 The Japanese attacked ain aire- drome north of Rangoon and also bomber Ayongon, but there was no damage or casualties.
 British fighters shot down a Japa- nese patrol plane in flames over Ia voy, 250 miles southeast of Rangoon British bomhers attacked Prachu- apgirikhand and Ratburi, in the narrow strip of southwestern Thai land opposite Burma, severely dam- aging two enemy planes on the ground at Prachuapgirikhand and blowing up train in the Ratburi station.
 There was no British losses.
 Officials here were pondering the extent to which development of rich mineral resources in southern China and northern Burma would offset the loss of Malaga and the Philip pines as sources of tin, tungsten, an- timony and other essential war metals.