Evening star., 1942-02-10
Singapore
Continued From First Page.)

billowed upward forming a great
black pillar which dominated the
scene of battle.
Some Further Withdrawals.
The British said there had been
some further Withdrawals of our
forces" in spite of stubborn re-
sistance.
During last night the enemy
succeeded in making further land
ings on the island in the area be-
tween Sungei Mandai and Sungei
Kranji," the communique said.
The Sungei Mandai region is i'm
mediately west of the causeway,
while Sungei Kranji is nearly 2
miles west of Sungei Mandai.
As in a special communique is
sued last night. British headquar-
ters said the Japanese had main
tanned continuous dive bombing
and machine-gun attacks on i'm
perial forward areas in the west
ern sector as we'll as high-level
bombing attacks by large forma-
tions of planes.
"At the same time he has main
tanned heavy pressure and has con-
tinued to infiltrate in this area" the
communique issued today said.
"On the north coast of the
island there was some enemy ma
chine-gun fire during the night
and slight enemy shelling,'
British Take Heavy Toll.
The Japanese apparently were
pouring everything they had into
the battle, pressing the imperials
with dive bomber and aerial ma
chine gun attacks, artillery bonn.
bardment and crafty inf1ltration.
AS the japanese moved eastward,
on the island new landings were
made during the night in the Kranji
Estuary. Veteran Australian fight
ers engaged them hotly. The jap
anese used steel troop land craft to
cross the narrow moat.
The invaders were paying a huge
price in casualties, but still they
came on.
1t was known that five Japanese
divisions, perhaps 100000 men. were
in Malaga and evidence today was
that all were concentrated either In
South Johore or on the island.
The city Of Singapore had one
air raid alert this morning, but
enemy planes were constantly dive
bombing and strafihg troops de-
ployed over the northern defenses.
British Exact Heavy Toll.
The British were exacting a
fearsome toll Of blood and men for
every precious inch of the island
while intrepid Hurricane fighter
pilots, facing odds which a spokes-
man said were at least twice as
great as those encountered at the
height of the battle of Britain. tore
into swarms Of Japanese fighters
all day yesterday.
After several shells fell in one
residential area of Singapore proper
yesterday morning. the city was not
touched by the battle throughout
the rest Of the day.
Singapore had several air-raid
alarms yesterday, but the Japanese
were devoting the full punch of
their high level and dive bombing
attacks against the men in the main
combat zone and those manning
other defense positions along Johore
Strait.
r. A. F. Bags 3 Planes.
The japanese, however, did not
have things all their own way In
the battles which went on almost
necessarily in the sky over the
stricken island.
The pilots of the heavily gunned
but outnumbered Hurricane planes
unhesitatingly tackled the enemy
and the final tally was not made as
night fell. With the results of some
dogfights yet to be reported. the
official score stood at three Japa-
nese planes destroyed for certain,
three probably destroyed and 10
damaged. There was no loss to
the r. A. F.
The British pilots apparently had
their hands full over Singapore. for
there were no reports yesterday of
any r. A. F. or Allied bombing Of
Japanese bases in Johore or of any
reconnaissance over Malaga.
Yesterday-nine weeks after the
first japanese bombs fell on Singa-
pore-authorities announced the in
tentior to build at government cost
public AFRAID shelters near mar
kets, food shops and in congested