NEAR PALEMBANG

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 56, 22 May 1942, Page 5

NEAR PALEMBANG

LOCAL PILOT'S CLOSE CALL THE JAPS ARE PLUCKY ! "The assertion that the Jap. soldier is a fatalistic fighter, was borne out in several of my experiences with them,'" said Pilot Max Milner, to ia 'Beacon' representative yesterday. Pilot Milner who is now on leave 1 after seeing service in Singapore and 1 later on several of the invaded * Dutch Islands, to which he -had [lown had some exciting adventures 1 in Palembang on Sumatra where, i lie had temporary command of an 5 air force unit posted there. < Fifteen hundred Jap paratroops commenced to rain from the skies ' one sunny day, shortly after the 1 destruction of the vast oil stores. ' Damaged 'planes: lying on the drome said Pilot Milner were destroyed at once and the small British force, collected a lew vehicles and made for the jungle route to the other side of the island. The Japs could be heard on, all sides but in spite of the shortage of weapons the small force of Britishers managed to hold them at bay. The attention of the airmen was suddenly arrested by an approaching armoured car which gathered l momentium as it charged down the hill towards their packed lorries. This vehicle had evidently been captured by the Japs from the Dutch and it did not take long to realise its intention. A few seconds later it had crashed into the packed British lorries and a shower of grenades flew in all directions as the Jap soldiers piled out from the hatch. There was hell let loose for a few minutes, in which manyi of the men were wounded. From behind the wheel of a field gun Pilot Milner made good use of his service revolver and the Japs were finally silenced but not before they had taken heavy toll of our men. The trip to the other coast was later interrupted by a further Jap ambush with machine guns. This incident, added Pilot Milner, added further casualties to our little band and it was only with the greatest difficulty that w r e managed to take our wounded along with us.