Daily Post - 22.12.1941, Page 1

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DAILY POST
n — 294
Monday, Dec. 22, 1941
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Imperial Troops Counter Jap. Attack
Germans Pushed [ in Mh Malaya
Back to Benghazi
Ferocious K.A.F.
Pounding of
Retreating Columns
London, Dec. 21st.
In Libya there is no indication of slackening in thé enemy’s
as he is being chased across the desert by our Eighth Army
Singapore Strongly
Entrenched
Stout Rersistance
Ilong-Kong
London, Dec. 21st.
The main news from the Far East to-day is the drive of the
Japanese forces down the Ferak River valley and the holding
out of the defenders of Hong Kong.
The bulk of Rommel’s forces
tas now reached the Solluch
^rea, some 40 miles south of
Senghazi. Disorganized groups
°í Italian infantry seem to have
been left east of Benghazi.
G.H.Q. Cairo repcrts to-day the
eapture of 8 undamaged Italian
tanks. whereas 12 German
tanks retreating were caught
UP with and destroyed.
R.A.F. CO-OPERATION
The communique states that
despite bad dust storms our
airforce is providing great ass-
istance in the pursuit of the
Cnemy’s mobile columns. Yest-
erday, enemy transport south
°f Benghazi were heavily en-
gaged by bombers and fighters
°f the R.A.F. and the Free
í'rench Air Force, who here
found targets to their hearts de-
sfre, in a number of lorries and
trailers, all laden with troops,
'vhich suffered severe casualt-
les- A news agency report says
that with these attacks the war
has entered a new phase, in
tvhich we are vastly superior,
^s in spite of the reinforcements
re'ceived by Rommel, very few
enemy planes are seen to be
ðround.
This phase is marked by a
new ferocity. as shown by a
tremendous air attack on a ten
long enemy transport col-
umn to-day, heading south
along the coast on the east side
cf the Gulf of Syrte. The col-
umn was bombed and machine-
gunned relentlessly all day
long; vehicles shattered, troops
blown to smithereens, lorries
smashed, supplies and petrol
tanks blasted, and the whole
column left a shambles.
ADMIRAL’S TRIBUTE
Admiral Sir Andrew Cunn-
ingham, has sent his congratul-
ations to all ships of the Med-
iterranean Fleet, including the
Royal Australian and Indian
Navies, for the part taken in
supplying the besieged garrison
of Tobruk, paying a special
tribute to the little ships of the
Merchant Navy.
AmericsB Tanber
Sunb off California
A communiqu'e from Wash-
ington to-day reports the sink-
ing of an American tanker by a
big submarine, off the Cali-
fornian coast, 200 miles north
of San Francisco. Thirty of the
crew got away, but 5 are miss-
ing. A second tanker was at-
tacked but took itefuge in a har-
bour on the West Coast.
MALAYA
Singapore reports to-day that
a heavy Japanese attack is now
expected somewhere in the
northern or middle reaches of
the Perak River Valley in
ncrth-western Malaya. A minor
encounter is already reported
to have taken place at Leng-
gang, 25 miles south of Gerik,
some 40 miles north from Ipoh
(pop. 65,000) and Taiping (pop.
40,000), chief towns in the Mal-
ayan tin mine district. (This
seems to indicate that the Jap-
anese may have crossed over to
the uppermost reaches of the
Perak River from Thailand as
the easiest road to take driving
south, as the Perak River, the
greatest river in the Peninsula,
runs for the most of its course
nearly due scuth, and nearly
parallel with the coastline,
some 30 to 50 miles inland).
Taiping is the seat of the Head-
quarters of the Malayan forces,
and it is expected that the Jap-
anese will meet with stubborn
resistance somewhere to the
north of the two above ment-
ioned towns.
The news of the encounter at
Lenggong may indicate that
our forces in the Perak Valley
have been withdrawn some-
what to a new reinforced line.
It may also explain the news
yesterday of our forces defend-
ing the coast having fallen back
further south from the Krian
River, as they might otherwise
be outflanked by the enemy’s
forces progressing to the south
inland. On the other hand the
Japanese newspaper “Asahi”
only to-day states that the Jap-
anese forces have occupied
the Province Wellesley as far
south as the Krian River. It is
evident that the progress of the
Japanese has here been pretty
effectively stopped, as the pap-
er also claims that the rains,
the swamps and the innumer-
able rivers. short it is true, but
carrying a great volume of
water, are all greatly hamper-
ing the advance of the Japan-
ese forces.
SINGAPORE
Kuantan, on the east coast of
Malaya, some 150 miles north
of Singapore, is again in the
news for the first time since the
frustrated attempt of the first
treacherous Japanese landing.
Singapore reports an enemy
raid there yesterday, but no
further details are available.
(Continued on page 4).