STOUT RESISTANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 February 1942, Page 3

STOUT RESISTANCE

BV BRITISH & AUSTRALIAN TROOPS AGAINST GREAT ODDS, REPORT TO AUSTRALIAN MINISTER. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, February 13. A brief message from Lieut.-Gen-eral Percival, commander of the Imperial troops on Singapore Island, sent to the Australian Army Minister, Mr Forde, states that, at midday today, local time, the British troops, including the Australians, were putting up a stout resistance against great odds. A Tokio radio announcer, speaking in broken English, said today that the enemy was “apparently determined to die in order to live up to the prestige of the British Empire. Japanese observers are astonished at the inhuman sense of duty of the British army leaders.” SEVERE PRESSURE ON ISLAND WESTERN FRONT, HIGH AND LOW LEVEL BOMBING. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.52 a.m.) RUGBY, February 13. A Singapore communique states: “Severe enemy pressure has been maintained on the western front during the last twenty-four hours, his attack being supported by increased air and artillery forces. Shelling today has been frequent on forward areas and on Singapore town. He also has carried out low-level dive-bombing attacks on our forward areas and there has been many high-level bombing attacks in the town area by large formations of aircraft. Fighting _is _ now taking place about Ang Mo Kio village —the Mac Ritchie Reservoir—Pasir Panjang. LOSS OF SINGAPORE WILL BE MAJOR DISASTER, LONDON PAPER’S COMMENT. LONDON, February 12. The “Evening News,” London, in a leader, said: “No excuses, no explanations can disguise the fact that the loss of Singapore will be a major disaster, with immense repercussions on the course of the war. The time has come for deep and searching scrutiny of our whole system of waging war, including the system of control at the top.” LONDON, February 12. A Batavia communique says that no further reports have been received from the various parts of the archipelago where the fight against the invader is being continued. Yesterday a Japanese bomber approached Surabaya, but immediately disappeared when Dutch fighters went up.