ENEMY CLAIMS ASSAULT HAS STARTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1942, Page 3

ENEMY CLAIMS ASSAULT HAS STARTED

No Indications of Any Attempted Landing AIR ATTACKS ON CITY CONTINUE LONDON, February 5. No fresh news has been received from Singapore since a High Command communique issued at 10.30 o’clock this morning. This communique did not indicate that there had been any general change in the situation. There has been some enemy shelling on parts of the island with negligible results. Much enemy movement southward to Johore has been observed from the air. Half an hour after the Singapore communique was received both Berlin and Tokio reported that the Japanese assault on the island had begun, when anti-aircraft defences were shelled at the island end of the causeway and Japanese air units made a series of bombing raids. No mention was made of any landings. In London there is no information that any general attack has been made. A force of Hurricanes met a large formation of enemy planes over the city. They destroyed one and probably another and damaged a third. An agency message states that a small formation of British soldiers sent across the Johore Strait to harass enemy communications has returned safely. Today’s Singapore communique says that Japanese forces are moving toward the island from Johore. Our artillery, it says, again engaged enemy transport columns in the Johore Bahru area as well as observation posts and gun positions, which were silenced. There was enemy shelling of the north of the island without much result. Enemy aircraft continue to make high-level bombing attacks, but these caused little damage or casualties. Shipping' in the harbour was also attacked. An oil tanker in the naval base set on fire two days ago is still burning. Hurricane fighters intercepted enemy fighters over the island, destroying one and damaging another.