VIOLENT FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1941, Page 5

VIOLENT FIGHTING

Reported in Three Main Areas • THE PHILIPPINES, MALAYA AND HONG KONG JAPANESE ATTEMPT TO LAND ON LUZON DEFEATED LONDON, December 10. The latest news from the Far East shows that Japan is still attacking in three main areas—the Philippines, Malaya and Hong Kong. Fighting is increasing in violence in all these areas. Jn the' Philippines there have been heavy Japanese attacks on the west coast of Luzon, the largest island of the group. This is announced in the first communique issued by the United States War Department. It states that at dawn today six enemy transports appeared off the coast of Luzon, 200 miles north of Manila. States bombers at once attacked, making direct hits on three of the ships and damaging* the other three. One ship capsized and sank immediately. The United States War Department states that the Japanese attack was defeated. Manila is still being attacked from the air. Two waves of Japanese bombers raided the city again this afternoon. ENEMY ATTACK ON MALAYA In Malaya our troops have reorganised themselves south of Kota Baru. Announcing this, a Singapore communique says our losses have been comparattively light. Elsewhere our frontier remains unbroken. Throughout yesterday there was heavy fighting over a wide area. In the frontier area Punjabi troops destroyed seven Japanese tanks. Five Japanese planes were shot down in an attack on an aerodrome at Penang. The Japanese bombers were escorted by fighters. DEFENCE OF HONG KONG The Japanese have launched heavy attacks on our positions at Hong Kong and have made some penetration of our outer defences. This afternoon’s communique states that the enemy attack has been halted for the moment but that fighting continues. Chinese troops are reported to have started an offensive against the rear of the Japanese troops attacking Hong Kong and to have attacked Canton. Imperial Headquarters at Tokio admits the loss of two transports, 28 naval planes and ten army planes since the outbreak of war. Damage to another two transports is also reported. Nauru Island was bombed again today. This was the third attack.