The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-02-09
Nipponese Land Under
Cover Of Darkness
Continued from Page l.

enemy is continuing to dive bomb
and shall forward positions.
Hurricane fighters of the Royal
Air Force, supporting our troops,
successfully intercepted enemy raid
ers today, destroying three and prob
ably three others and damaging 10.
Details are as follows:
First Raid Today
TN the first raid this morning
one army-97 bomber was destroyed
and two army-97 bombers and one
navy-0 fighter and three other two
engined bomoers were damaged.
I'm the second raid two enemy air.
craft were destroyed and three
probably destroyed and seven were
damaged.
Later a patrol OF our fighter air.
craft wrecked an enemy lorry
(trucD during a road strafe.
From all these operations our
fighters returned to base without
loss.
I'm the last two days our defenses
have shot down two enemy aircraft
for certain. Reports now received
show that during previous periods
not reported a further five were shot
down for certain and four probably.
Totals to date are 70 certainties
and ~ probables."
The terrific blast of Japanese siege
guns on forward positions had made
it certain during the night that the
Japanese would attack, and the I'M
periaS were ready when I visited
the rear area of the fighting lines.
Troops were moving steadily into
battle positions throughout the
night, under the fire of enemy guns.
The Japanese used mainly NOR
tars, firing blndly into the north
western area of the island.
Troops Await Final Test
The troops were jubilant at the
thought Of coming to the final test,
man for man, with the Japanese
who had filtered through the jungles
OF Malaga, never venturing frontal
fight despite their overwhelming
numbers.
In the complete blackness of the
forward area, light artillery wheeled
into place quietly and from a hut
came the weezing of gramophone
I'VE are soldiers of the king, my
boys"
Listen to them guns up 'front.'" a
man in the rear lines commented.
Il bet them little yellow BIS are
trying to land now"
They were In the acute danger
spot of the island, the jungly,
swampy northwest coast, 1O-mile
stretch Of mangrove and patches of
rubber and pineapple plantation,
which assumes an undulating char
acter inland.
The strait there Is narrow and I'M
usually shallow. 1t is hardly more
than half mile wide at high tide.
At low tide the water Is even more
shallow.
Hondon quoted well informed
sources that it was not more than
six feet deep, flanked with even
more shallow stretches of sandy bot
tom. At high tide, London said, the
depth is about Is feet.)
Imperial troops went into action
as soon as outposts had flashed the
alarm and reports from the front
said merciless fighting was in pro-
greSs In the jungle sWamps.
General Warning
A general warning was issued for
all soldiers and civilians on the is
land to be on the alert for Japanese
parachute trops who might attempt
landing In the interior.
A few hours before, japanese
troops had occupied deserted, I'M
fortified Pulau Ubin (Ubin Island)
Of the northwest coast, through the
day and evening, while the British
guns blasted the Johore shore.
There was lull In the Japanese
bombardment just before midnight.
But early this morning every gun
which the japanese had been able
to get within range of the island
opened up with tremendous roar
that brought every man of the is
land garrison to the alert and put
the civilians of the ISL 900 popula-
ton into the front line of a grim
and merciless fight.
The earth quaked and great angry
red flashes lighted the early sky.
AS the guns blazed, an air raid
alert sounded, then another.
Japanese planes were flying over
the island, close to the city, trying
to observe the effect Of the cannon
aiding.
Under long pre-arranged plans
the island garrison went into action
and reserves moved up to the fight
ing lines were the advanced units
were fighting with every weapon
they could muster, hunting out the
Japanese attackers in the thick jun
gle Of the west coast swamps.
The west coast had been recogniz-
ed as the great danger spot. 1t is
less thai, ., --4a- A->-s IA IchGr"