Evening star., 1942-01-29
Macarthur Big Guns Repel Japs;
Foe 30 Miles From Johore Strait;
Commons Backs Churchill 464-1
AustroIiun Forces
In Counteruttucks
Above Singapore
By the Associated Press.

6y tUe ASbOCletSo EICoc.
SINGAPORE, Jan. 29.-Austra-
liam troops welding bayonets in
close fighting successfully coun-
terattacked the japanese above
Singapore, it was announced to-
day, but the British Far East
command indicated the picked
japanese troops had penetrated
to about 80 miles from the Strait
Of Johore.
The Strait of Johore, along whose
shore the British have begun clear
ing mile-wide strip in preparation
for the battle of Singapore Island,
separates the fortified island from
the mainland by about a mile Of
water.
The British Far East command
communique announced that its
troops are in contact in the center
with the Japanese in the Layang-
Layang area. Layang Layang
Is a town on the main Singapore
railroad 80 miles above the strait.
zoo Jap Casualties Reported.
1t was on this central front that
a company of Australians charged
with bayonets yesterday and in
flicted about 200 casualties on the
Japanese, the Far East command
said, at no cost to itself.
The communique indicated a
considerable advance by the jap
anese, since the latest report had
located the fighting in the area
about Is or 20 miles to the north,
around Kluang and Ayer-HitamD
On the east coast the Japanese
were fighting the British about Ulu
Sedili, on the Sedili River % miles
south of Mersing and 40 miles north
of the Strait Of Johore, the head
quarters communique reported.
The japanese Veteran 5th Di-
vision is fighting on the central
sector.
To the west, where the Japanese
Imperial Guards are leading the
way, the British reported no change
in the situation.
There heavy fighting was re-
ported around Rengit, 40-odd miles
north Of Singapore.
japanese Trapped.
The communique said Australians
fighting on the east coast last
Tuesday successfully trapped the
Japanese between the Australian
forward elements and Australian
fire and inflicted about $50 casual
ties. The Australians suffered
about 80 casualties, the communique
said.
Heavy aerial activity by the Jap
anese continues, it was said, but
Japanese bomber formation which
approached Singapore island this
morning was driven of by our
fighter aircraft and forced to jetti-
son their bombs"
Other formations attacked targets
on the island, the communique
added, but reports Of damage and
casualties had not yet been received.
Maj. Gen. Gordon Bennett, COM
mander of the Australians on the
Johore front, declared at his field
headquarters that his men have
been forced to withdraw from the
positions in Northern Johore state,
where they entered the Malayan
battle, because the Japanese have
been able to get around the west
flank along the coast.
No Ground Surrendered.
"Our men never have given
ground under pressure" he said,
and our gunners have vowed that
no Japanese tanks ever will get
through our positions-and they
haven't"
Gen. Bennett said the japanese
once sent out patrols on bicycles
taken from Malayans, but the Aus
tralians stopped that by gathering
the bicycles all along the coast.
British truck conveys moved to
and from the front in the face of
the repeated Japanese air attacks.
The spirit of the drivers was shown
in inscriptions on the sides of their
trucks-one Of which bore the
words:
Don't worry, we will be back"