Evening star., 1942-04-18
japanese Bombers
In kaIaya Guided
By Banana Leaves
Comeromon DiscIoses
PIcn Used TO Spot British
Gun empIocements
p the Associated Press.

p the Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO. April 1s.-An
ingenious fifth column which used
yellowing banana tree leaves TO point
out British gun emplacements 10
Japanese bonnbers helped decide the
war in Malaga, Frank Noel said
today.
Other factors included overwhelm-
ing air superiority and a war of
movement so speedy that the sur
prised British had 10 retreat before
they could destroy great stores of
booty. the Associated Press pho
tographer said.
Mr. Noel arrived at Singapore Just
In time TO be sent into Malayan
front-line service at the outbreak of
war and left Singapore just in time
TO ride a British freighter to its
doom in the first reported submarine
attack in the Indian Ocean. He
reached safety after five days adrift
In a lifeboat.
1900 Mile Voyage.
Another freighter. an American
motorship. brought Mr.. Noel here as
a crevman after a l5,000-mile
voyage from Calcutta, India. by way
of Capetown, the South Atlantic and
the Panama Canal He tried to buy
passage. but the freighter accepted
no passengers.
The fifth column, not so much ma
tive Malayans or even japanese liv-
Ing on the peninsula but Indians
with a disaffection for the British,
helped the enemy's cause immeasur-
ably. Mr.. Noel said.
They would spot our gun en-
placements or troop concentrations
by tearing leaves from the banana
trees and laying them out in the
form Of pointers in open spaces.
These leaves quickly turned
brilliant yellow and could be spotted
easily from the air by japanese
flyers. Then the bombers or the
machine cunning fighter planes
would come. Or the enemy artil-
lery, with deadly fire, would knock
out the position TO which 1t had been
tipped Off"
Left u. S. Five Months Ago.
The photographer, resident of
Albany, N. Y. left the United States
on assignment to the Orient five
months ago. He saw the Japanese
press across the border from Thai
land and down the Kra isthmus
TO capture Penang Island and
Georgetown. second city of the
straits settlements. In one great
drive.
Penang was practically helpless
In the face of the Japanese push"
he said. There was nothing that
could be done to save 1t from the
fierce bombing raids launched
against 1t and nothing that could
be doI1e TO relieve its misery after
the attacks occurred.
I'VE crossed to the island from
the mainland by boat one night
two days after the big raid and
found the dead still lying in the
streets"
The Japanese pushed on past
Penang with the same furious, en-
veloping speed and took Ipon, the
tin mining center inland from the
west coast of the peninsula.
Expiosive-Laden Trains Blocked.
The British had brought up two
full trainloadS of explosives
dynamite, fuses and everything
with the idea Of demolishing the
tin works and all else of value to
the enemy before they withdrew,
Mr.. Noel said.
But Japanese bombers, with dead
eye precision, blasted the trains
before they could be unloaded. The
explosives blew up, all right. and
caused plenty of damage, but not
to what had been intended"
We couldn't form a line" he con-
tinued, because the Japs were
always crowding our flanks or press
ing ahead of us.
"One time when Maj, Fisher, a
British Army press relations officer,
and ! were trying to reach the front
and get first hand coverage on the
behind us.
1T was Jap gun, and We had to
beat way through the jungle
across the enemy lines and back
to our own forces"
Stricken With Malaria.
The defenders were largely at
loss 10 cope with the fifth column
situation, Mr.. Noel said, because
they never could tell in which di-
recnon it might arise. Among those
who were found 10 have aided the
enemy and were shot for their deeds
were four Chinese
Mr., Noel backtracked with the re-
treating imperials as far as Kuala
Lumpur, l20 miles north of Singa-
pore. Then, i'll of malaria. he re-
turned to Singapore and boarded the
freighter, which he said had brought
200 fully assembled trucks 10 that
port, but left empty although great
stocks of rubber and other raw war
materials stood on the dock await
ing export,
Perhaps, Mr. Noel reflected. it was
as well they did not load a cargo
Shortly afterward, the ship went
down under submarine torpedoing
1S0 miles west pF C,,r,,atro