The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-19
SINGAPORE HAS
BEEN BLOWN UP
Continued from Page u

some llght held artillery, moved up
when the Japanese reached the Jo-
hore side of the straits.
I do not believe that any of the
great 15-inch and 18-inch batteries
on which Singapore relied for de-
Tense ever went into action. They
were pointing the wrong way. The
British strategists never thought an
attack from the land side was pos
Sible.
I never heard any Of the big guns
fire. Outside of few guns of larger
caliber, the main batteries at Singa-
pore were 25-pounders.
British Destroy
When the British forces withdrew
to Singapore island, they blew up
the causeWay to the Johore Shore
but caused only a 30-yard break.
They knew the Japanese could
easily repair this gap but they also
knew that the main invasion effort
of the Japs would be made at other
points along the straits where bet
ter cover was available In this, the
British officers proved correct.
The cauSeWay was never an i'm
portant factor in the Japanese at
tack.
What was important, of course,
was the lack of aircraft. In the last
days of the battle visited the Sele-
tar airdrome, the biggest Royal Air
Force station in Malaga. There were
only three planes there-two Cata-
lima flying boats and a Sunderland
flying boat-al out of commission.
The Tenga airdrome on the west
side of the island was also devoid
of planes. The Kallang airdrome
was the only field where planes
stayed In action in the final hours.
Kallang had detachment of
Brewster Buffalo fighters. They
caused great enthusiasm among r.
A. F.. pilots when they arrived in
March, 1941. But When real action
came December the enthusiasm
wilted. Pilots said the Brewsters
lacked maneuverapility and gun
power. One big trouble, understand
was inadequate servicing of the
machines due to lack of trained
American mechanics.
FEW HURRICANES LEFT
When the British Hurricane fight
ers arrived, the BreWsters took a
back seat. But by the time the
japanese were dive bombing Singa-
pore island there were few Hurri-
canes left on the island.
The Imperial defenders of Ma
laya needed II days to learn how to
scorch the earth and so left the
great rubber plantations of the up
per peninsula and the installations
of Penang Island more or less in
tact for the japanese invaders.
But once they learned the tech
nique, they were effective and in
the Lower Malay Peninsula, the
enemy found mostly ruins.
The Japanese landed on Dec. 8 in
North Malaga, 300 miles above Sing
apore and quickly took the Kota
Bharu airdrome. Eleven days later,
the British evacuated Penang ISL
and. In that time, the planters,
fleeing their plantations, left behind
rubber trees that will be produc-
ing at capacity within three or four
months. The trees will require cur
ing for a few weeks because they
haven't been "milked" since the in
vaslon started. But even in this
area, rubber stocks were burned and
tin supplies, machinery, and oil
tanks were damaged.
But after the fall of Penang, the
Imperials really scorched the earth.
Start Gasoline Fire
A Penang volunteer told me that
he personally fired his tommy gun
INTO great pile of canned gaso-
line, starting fire that swept
Penang town.
Around Kuala Lumpur saw great
rubber industries turned into the
funeral pyres of the hopes and am
Ditions of men who had spent their
lives building them. I watched great
piles of sheet rubber go up in flames
and watched the estate manager
distribute all food stocks to the ma
tlves. The story was the same down
through the Negri Sembilan, and
Selangor and Johore States. To
"'St eituAS uoaUlc, Vic COTCll Was
applied.
Batavia is heavenly refuge after
Tie last two months in Singapore.
Food Is not rationed, there is plenty
OF gasoline, the beds are comfortable
and there aren't, at least yet, daily
bomblngs. People move freely about
The streets, but there is an under
current OF apprehension which was
felt in Singapore in late Deem
Der.
There have been anxious queries
since Palembang's fall and officials
tell the people frankly of the in
creased peril.
And the peril is real Sometimes
think I've gotten out of the fry
ing pan and into the fire.