Evening Star Newspaper, February 1, 1942, Page 4

% WATER } CATCHMENT ¢ WHERE BATTLE OF SINGAPORE RAGES—British imperial troops in Malaya have withdrawn to Singapore Island and yes- terday the commanding officer declared “the battle of Singapore has started.” The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force destroyed the 60-foot-wide causeway (1) connecting the state of Johore -_— - 29th Division Plans Ceremonies Tuesday Marking First Year Reviews, Entertainment ‘Programs Scheduled By Various Units Bpecial Dispatch to The Star. FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md., Jan. 31—The 20th Infantry Di- vision will mark completion of a year of Federal service Tuesday with special reviews and entertainment | programs. and the island, and the defenders ranged heavy guns along a mile-wide strip (shaded area) to combat an expected Japanese attempt to storm across the narrow Johore Strait. Harder to Win Than Hong Kong $400,000,000 Fortress Farther Away And Is Not Nearly So Vulnerable By the Associated Press. 4 Japanese invasion hordes will nnd‘ the citadel of Singapore a vastly | tougher nut to crack than the Brit- ish crown colony of Hong Kong, which fell on Christmas Day after | a siege of less than three weeks. Both are island naval fortresses lying about a mile from the main- land, but their similarity ends there. The 110th Field Artillery will cele- brate with a review in the after- | noon and attend an observance in | the recreation hall later. Col. | Henry C. Evans, regimental com- | mander, will recall history of the | unit, and Hunter Boyd Post ¢ the | American Legion * will t a trophy to the battery adjudged out- standing during the Carolina man- euvers, The 111th Field Artillery also will hold a review in the afternoon and entertain wvisitors at evening mess. Orchestras will play for dancing in the enlisted men’s recreation hall and the officers’ recreation build- Pittsburgh Mayor to Attend. Mayor Cornelius Scully of Pitts- burgh and members of the City Council have accepted invitations to be guests of the 176th Field Artillery, which will combine regi- mental and professional talent in an entertainment program Tuesday night. \ The 104th Medical Regiment will hear talks by officers and see a film of its “at-home weekend” in the recreation hall the same night and break up for company parties there- after. A review and special chapel | service will be attended by the 104th Quartermaster Regiment Tuesday afternoon, and “open house” will be held in the evening. - Motion Picture to Be Shown. | The 175th Infantry plans a rec- | reation hall program including a| ginstrel show arranged by the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Third Dis- trict Democratic Club of Baltimore and a motion picture, “The Year in Service,” made by Chaplains J. E. Albert and J. E. Moore. Col. John W. Oehmann of Wash- ington, former commander of the regiment, will be a guest of honor when the 121st Engineers celebrate ‘Thursday night in Service Club No. 2 on the reservation. Music will be ?/ULen your ,aiano is a .j(naée. You may count yourself the possessor of a musical treasure—exquisite in tone—fascin- ating in its beauty of case—a notable and rewarding addition to your charming home. | indefinite period. Singapore bristles with arma- ments costing $400,000,000. Hong | Kong's defenses cost only a tenth as much. ‘While Hong Kong was defended | by a relatively small garrison of | perhaps 16,000 British, Canadian and Indian troops, Singapore is guarded by a vastly larger force. The size of the Singapore garrison, reinforced by troops which fell back from the Malay peninsula, is a military secret. Japanese communication. ines to Singapore -are nearly twice-as long as the 1,585-mile route from Tokio to Hong Kong. Singapore lies 1,440 miles south of Hong Kong, and the Japanese flanks are exposed. Hong Kong virtually was sur- rounded by hostile Japanese after their treacherous attack December 7. Canton, the large Chinese me- tropolis nearby, was taken by the Japanese early in their China war | and served as an effective base for | the assault by at deast 50,000 invad- ing troops. But Singanore is near the Allied Netherlands Indies, near Australia and India and can ke reinforced, whereas no help could be despatch- | ed to Hong Kong. Allied sea power | may be nearby. ! Failure of Hong Kong's water sup- ply brought its surrender. Vast| reservolrs can provide Singapore's| 700,000 residents with watet for an| Alr support was virtually nil at Hong Kong, because airdromes were quickly overrun. Singapore island under direction of Warrant Officer Meyer Goldman. This unit is combining the divis sion’s anniversary with its own 18th anniversary observance. All other elements of the 20th are making arrangements to celebrate the day but have not announced final plans. In these days of only safe investments the Knabe is enjoying its greatest popularity. RITT'S has at least four main air fields| landing | and numerous auxiliary grounds, and air support is possible from the nearby Dutch island of Sumatra. 5 Nearly twice as many people were ‘pucked into Hong Kong's 32 square miles, as are today in Singapore’s 200 square miles, which means the food problem during the seige will be less acute. Hong Kong like Singapore, i separated from the mainland by a mile of water. Both bastions were built primarily as naval bases with the big guns pointed toward the sea. | But Britian has been pouring munitions and men onto Singapore island for more than & year, and it is liberally studded with pill boxes, anti-aircraft batteries and field for- tifications. Singapore’s geographical position almost astride the Equator gives it command of the Southern seas and | its clustered defenses guard the gateway to the Indian Ocean and the approaches to India and Aus- tralia. The surface of Singapore Island is undulating and broken by low hills, the highest of which is 500 feet. sandstone form the core of the island. Coral reefs fringe the southwest shores. The soil is chiefly red clay and is not exceptionally fertile. Singapore is hot and humid and the luxurious foliage of the forest areas make a brilliant contrast with rich red cliffs of the hills. It rains an average of 173 days a year, and nearly 100 inches of rain falls every 12 months. Vast military, naval and air de- fenses have made Singapore Island one of the strongest ramparts in the world. At Changi, guarding the east entrance to the Strait of Johore separating Singapore from Malaya, the great shore batteries have a range of 20 miles. Changi is a garrison town com- | plete with infantry, engineer and | artillery barracks. Farther west on the strait is the naval base. A bridge over the narrow Seletar River connects the naval base with the | huge R. A. P. airfield, one of four important air bases on the island. All the defense establishments are connected by splendid road RENT A PIANO ON OUR NEW glRCHASE-IIEHTAI. PLAN A special plan for the were not for the uncertainty of their future status, would buy a piano outright at once. choose from any new or used spinet, grand or upright in our store, and, if later you decide to keep it, the payments you have made will apply on the purchase price. for any reason, you are unable to keep it, you will be charged only the usual rental rate. also, of course, have plenty of pianos available to rent on our regular monthly rental plan. e Japanese Will Find Singapore - Crystalline rocks, shale and | D. C, FEBRUARY 1, 1942. View of the railroad and highway causeway, which formed an enemy submarine, was told to- day by the tanker's second mate when the vessel docked } port. Second Mate Melvin Hays of Bal- timore, 32-year-old former Navy ra- dio operator, related that during his watch on the bridge wing dur- ing the afternoon of January 27, he sighted the crate off.the star- board bow, and, upon training a tele- scope on it, detected a submarine's periscope nearby. “It (the periscope) was about a mile away crossing our course, and making about one to three knots,” sald the third officer of the 7,236- ton Pan Maine. “As soon as I saw it, T sounded RAILROADS MAIN ROADS 2 4 — Miles —A. P. Wirephoto. U-Boats (Continued From First Page) | cnSine room a standby signal and put the wheel hard left to change | our course.” When the alarm was sounded, out of the way. We are going to fire.'” Charles McDonald of Wichita, | Kans,, radio operator, said he saw | bunk, and in quick succession there the submarine clearly and believed | crackled from his sending set an it was much smaller than the usual | SOS and an SSS—the signal for run of undersea craft. Several| ‘submarine attack. crew members, however, digpgreed | e | with him, asserting they saw about 180 feet of the underwater craft and that all of the submersible was not showing then . Capt. A. L. Clark said he did not believe the submarine was large | enough to cross the ocean, operate | off the Atlantic coast and return to | | its home port. He declined comment, however, on the possibility that mother ship was being maintaine for U-boats. The survivors reported that a lhlue porpoise was painted on the conning tower of the submarine. | “Mr. Davidson sald two life: boats | were lowered within six or seven minutes after the first torpedo | struck. The second torpedo hit a few moments later. The 6,836-ton | | tanker, riding light, was pierced in the aft-portion, the m?" muug["“ attack from the land side from striking into the engine room. Cap- | whlc:e:“l.he British now face their tain Clark said three of the engine | STon ot menace. { room crew were killed instantly | by the explosion or escaping steam. Radioman’s Work Praised Captain Clark took command of | one life boat with 11 crew members, | and Second Mate Francis Boudreau was in charge of the other lifeboat | carrying others of the survivors. | Captain Clark praised the work of | Radio Operator McDonald, who was on watch at the time of the attack and sent two SOS signals and re- ceived several answers before aban- | | doning his post. He did a “mag- | | nificent job,” the skipper said. The 30 survivors were in lifeboats | for two and a half hours before they | were picked up by a rescue vessel. Ole Hansen, pumpman, of Provi- dence, R. I, said the survivors were given another scare after lowering the lifeboats when a shell fired by the submarine landed in the water “too close to us for comfort.” | Orange Crate ‘Tipped Off’ | Pan Maine on U-Boat AT AN ATLANTIC PORT, Jan. | 31 (#.—How an orange crate, flo: | ing on the sea, provided the “tip- off” that helped the American | | tanker Pan Maine to outmaneuver | >Singapore (Continued From First Page.) to set up. Ten miles south, across the Straits of Singapore, are the islands of the Rhio archipelago, and 80 miles to the west is the low, marshy oast of the Dutch-owned island of umatra, whence small boats may be zble to carry some supplies at night. Pointing to the east, west and | south, are the permanently em- { placed big guns, some of them 18 and 116 inch bores to ward off any sea- | borne attack. But these guns, pointed seaward, were never .intended to fight off -‘;‘:fl' j Lode feeling of inadequacy in music. playing 40 selections (20 . o near the instrument. many people, who, if it 9 You can magnificent tone before. If, on the other hand, We TELEPHONE REPUBLIC 6212 1330 G Stroet MIDDLE OF THE BLOCK at safe | the general alarm signal, gave the | the only connection between Singapore Island and the main- land of Johore before its destruction. This picture, looking tinuous route of supply the length of the Malay peninsula, while British reinforcements will be under the danger of air bombardment unless the local bases are able to maintain & strong umbrella over such opera- tions, killed and 116 injured Thursday by air raiders, it was announced | today. Singapore's food supplies are ample for a considerable time. Anti- cipating a disruption of trade and shipping, authorities began accu- |and started encouraging people to | grow their own vegetables. | Radio Operator Joseph Caronna, 20, | of New Orleans, leaped from his | A great store of rice—main staple {for the Orientals—was imported from Thailand, Burma and French Indo-China. Vegetables and eggs already are scarce but the island should be able to produce enough to meet mini- mum requirements. The vegetable supply formerly came from the Japanese are expected to attempt' ‘The Japanese now have a con-' fertile areas of Central Malaya and from the Netherlands Indies. Singapore long has imported most of its meat from Australia, and re- serves are still large. The people already are observing two meatless days a week as a measure of econ- omy. Of the more than 700,000 persons pressed into the 220 square miles of island, only about 35000 are Europeans. Eighty per cent are Chinese and the rest are Indians and Malayans. Most of the population is eoncen- trated in the city of Singapore at the southern end of the island, but | many Malayans and Indians and | some Chinese live in villages and |hamlets which dot the plantations and cocoanut palm central part of the island. A A gnlerlain wilL g::oJ mu.n'c With a Capehart you will no longer experience that entertaining guests or in satisfying your own musical desires, for, with it, you can reproduce perfectly, whenever wished, whatever you want frcm the world’s great library of recorded The exclusive Capehart Record Changer, records) both sides of each record in succession, brings you complete sympho- nies and operas in their correct sequence——}hreel hours of uninterrupted music without you having to The Capehart, too, has a superlative radio equipped for frequency modulation as well ‘as standard and shortwave broadcasts. Visit our Capehart Salon one day soon and hear your fa- vorite music reproduced on a Capehart. We believe that you, too, will say you have never heard such CALL REPUBLIC 6212 Ninety persons were killed and| 246 injured yesterday and 12 were | mulating reserves of rice last year | across Johore Strait from the Malay peninsula, sh‘ows the Penang Express coming over from Singapore. —A. P. Wirephoto. Causeway (Continued From First Page.) turned to deal with the invaders at Singapore’s back door. Main British forces disengaged the enemy at Kulai, 20 miles north of Johore Bahru early yesterday, blowing up roads, bridges and cul- verts behind them. Apparently they | completed evacuation of the main- | land at least a day ahead of the enemy’s anticipation. All, except for a bare few, troops were brought | off before dawn. hurled toward the sky, making & sea-wide gap in the only link with the mainland. The gap is widening with the tide which is banking up under a freshening easterly wind. Watchers along the causeway saw no signs of Japanese activity other than at the mile-wide straits, but day-long enemy air reconnaissance must have revealed the British with- drawal toward the island. The sunlit straits presented s most peaceful scene from the Johore sultan’s palace mosque. Govern- | ment offices fringing the waterside | are now immediately opposite a sec~ tion of the British defense lines. As columns of troops, guns and | way, Australian Imperial Forces and Gordon Highlanders held the outer bridgehead. The inner bridge- head was held until the last by Argyll Sutherlanders who paid tri- bute to the Scottisher's heroic fight- ing retreat from North Malaya. equipment filed through the cause- | The Johore area was heavily bombed yesterday by the Japanese. Following the order for the eva- cuation of civilians and livestock | from the northern coastal stxip | Singapore Island civilians were | ordered today to evacuate by 6 pm. tomorrow. The enemy was completely out of | contact in the latter stages of the withdrawal except for skirmishing parties on the farthest flanks. They apparently were wholly unaware of what was taking place. Thousands of British troops marched last night in columns across Johore causeway in the light of a full moon without interference from the enemy. It was the climax of a brilliant disengagement with- | drawal which outwitted the Japs when determined air attacks might have proved most serious. While ‘the battle-weary British troops tramped southward for hours on the causeway in the vicinity of the naval base, swarms of Japanese bombers flew overhead en route to seek military targets in the Singa- pore City area. Johore Causeway was blown up while onlookers saw a section con- sisting of roadway and railway! rubber | | groves covering large areas of the Before you select a hearing aid, see Sono- tone. 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