The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-08

puzzling Australian defense experts,
first, because of its almost total lack
of success according to offlcial COM
muniques in proportion to the num-
Der of craft engaged in the coastal
offensive.
Secondly, officials are perplexed
over the apparently meaningless
bombardment of Sydney and New
castle in which only handful Of
shells were fired.
Sydney was shelled at 1850 a. m.
and Newcastle, 80 miles to the
north, at 2 a. m.
In each attack, Japanese ocean
going submarines shelled the sub
urbs of the ports blinJly, apparently
in revenge for the deadly toll al
lied planes and guns had taken of
the enemy's new underSeas fleet in
Australian waters.
The Smelling did less damage than
q normally heavy rain and wind
storm but authorities decided to
take no chances because OF the
danger that the Japanese, stung by
their Midway defeat, might resort
to desperate measures.
Army Minister Francis M. Forde
announced that the government
could be relied on to take all steps
to prosecute the search for the
Smelling submarines, and for others
undoubtedly of the southeast coast.
Made In Germany
1t was believed at Sydney that
the shells which the Japanese sub
marines fred were Of German orr
gin.
A few houses were damaged and
there were a few slight casualties.
There was no damage to military
detectives.
Shells started screaming over
Sydney, Australia'S second city, in
the early hours of this morning.
Short batteries responded and naval
craft put out in search of the at
lacking craft. "....
Shortly afterward, shells struck
in the suburbs of Newcastle, 30
miles up the southeast coast.
Gen. Douglas Macarthur an
nounced the attack in his general
headquarters communique No. Sc,
which reported also Allied plane
raids on two Japanese bases in Por-
tuguese-Dutch Timor island north
west of Australia.
The communique said:
Northwestern Sector.
''Timor :Ermera-Saturday an AL
liedair unit bombed a road in the
vicinity, obtaining direct hits on a
bridge-Atamboea-A light raid by
Allied bombers secured hits on bar
rackA
Eastern Sector.
Sydney and Newcastle were
shelled during the night without
effect in nuisance raids by enemy
submarines"
Australians called the submarine
shelling a Utter attack, by which
the japanese hoped to brighten
Australian civilians. They noted
that the Japanese Saturday had
started a new propaganda campign
urging Australia not to fight
Both Sydney and Newcastle, two
of the chief ports on the southeast
coast which is the industrial heart
of the country, BACKED out as soon
as the enemy shells, of small caliber
started to fall.
Air raid alerts were sounded and
many persons went to shelters in
the belief that enemy planes were
raiding.
For many hours, townspeople
were unaware that submarines had
made the attack.
Shells Came Fast
The shells came so fast that a
court could not be made. At Sgd
ney, one made crater in a densely
populated street. In another sub
urb, an incendiary shell went
through home and set it on fire.
One shell landed in the home Of
Edward Hirsch, 35, a refugee who
came all the way to Australia from
Germany to get away from war. It
went over bed in which members
of his family were asleep and, put
ting through three more walls,
landed in a hallway. 1t did not ex-
plode.
Hirsch, his mother and his 18-
months old baby were taken to hos
pital, with shock and light wounds.