AMERICAN FLEET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 December 1941, Page 3

AMERICAN FLEET

APPARENT INACTIVITY < SUGGESTED REASON. RESERVED FOR DEFENCE OF SINGAPORE. NEW YORK, December 25. The “New York Times” correspondent, Mr Hanson Baldwin, commenting on the apparent inactivity of the United States fleet in the Manila defence, says: “The fleet may have received orders after the loss of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse to preserve its fighting power for the defence of Singapore which—not the Philippines—is the keystone of the Far Eastern Allied strategical structure.” HONG KONG HEROES

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER’S TRIBUTE VALIANT DEFENCE OF ISLAND FORTRESS. ONLY DELAYING ACTION POSSIBLE. ' OTTAWA, December 25. Mr Mackenzie King before leaving for Washington issued the following statement regarding Hong Kong: “From the outset Hong Kong’s fate hung in the balance. Hong Kong’s security depended largely upon maintenance of naval strength in the Pacific, which was temporarily completely changed by the losses following the treacherous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the Philippines and by the loss of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. After these losses the defence of Hong Kong was transformed into a delaying action. “How valiantly Hong Kong was defended is apparent from the fact that its capture occupied a formidable Japanese force for a fortnight. Hong Kong’s resistance spared the defenders of the Philippines and Malaya even stronger assaults at a moment when the gain of time was an all-important factor. Theerfore the defence of Hong Kong may prove to have had a farreaching consequence for the whole Far Eastern campaign.

“One should also remember that de-

fence against aggression in any part of the world is today the defence of every country still enjoying freedom. It may well be that the gallant Canadian, Australian, British, Indian, American and Dutch defenders of Hong Kong and the other outposts of freedom in the South China Sea and the Indies will be remembered as the world’s vanguard of freedom.”