1941-07-16 — Page 20

4:

Wednesday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH.

July 16, 1941.

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The

Hongkong Telegraphı.

Wednesday, July 16, 1941. Wyndhain St., Hongkong

Telephone: 20015

SINGAPORE:

Until and unless Singa- pore falls, there can be no realisation of the Japanese dream of Asiatic domina- tion. Britain's island for- tress, "crossroads of the world," thus stands to-day as a symbol of Nipponese frustration. Yet to take Singapore would be the hardest task so far faced by the children of the Rising Sun.

High Hurdle To Asiatic

Aggression

By

MAJOR JAMES ROSS

Thinking elements in Japan know this, Reichs- fuchrer Hitler knows it, strikes inland; both meet at when veteran Japanese divi Whether or not the hot- a junction some 50 miles sions which could be spared heads of Japanese military east of Malacca, for the from China gathered at Hainan and naval hierarchy appre-

final 120-mile run to Singa- ciate the fact remains to be pore. seen. Upon their decision- Possible Bases

In the "Christian Science Monitor”.

affected as it must be by

Two possible bases for a

Island.

Commander-in- Chief

Charged with the duty of organising the defence of Singapore and all British possessions in the Far East is Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke Popham. who has declared his full confidence in the forces and resources at his command.

By the time for the next move Japanese sea power would, it was hoped, control the South, China Sea and the Gulf of the Oriental value of "face" land expedition against the Singapore, threatened by more son of several thousand mon,

Siam. The existing garrison of so rarely grasped by West- British base suggest them immediate investment, could plus a mobile field force on the erners-may rest the dif-

selves Bangkok, capital, of spare but a very small force for mainland of several divisions, ference to the United States Thailand, and Songkla. The mobile defence and delaying ac with auxiliary weapons. The between war and peace. former of a sizeable port, tions in the Malay States. Too R. A. F. will operate from bases Should the Japanese High the latter a shallow har late then for British reinforce- not only in Malaya, but also the from Burman and Indian bases Command fail to grasp it, bour. The mountains offer

Unfortunately for ment. national Japanese catas-

Axis that bright bubble has entirely out of reach of Nip- shelter to any Japanese ad- burst. Even the small French ponese land or sen attack.

trophe may well result, vance along the eastern force in Indo-China has lately The land strength which

Even the limited naval shore, with but five tenuous received reinforcements to back Japan can spare from China experience of Japan in-passes; Mergui-Pach Puri, up the 5th Regiment of the will probably consist of not. THE Dreax "special to the Telegraph" dicates that a fortress can- starting in Burmese terri- Foreign Legion-up-to-date the much more than five divisions under the pro which it strictly copyright not be taken by direct as- tory; Ponga-Chai-ya, Corah- major opponent of Thai offen (100,000 men) with auxiliary cations Ordinance, 1936 Such assault from the sea, as hap- Ligor, Telibon-Ligor, and

Is used by the Hongkong Telegraph to

provisions of the Telecommuni

bears the Indication "UP" is received in

sive movement.

tongkang on the fate of publication by pened during the Russo- Lungu-Songkla, the last Singapore's Position

the United Press re serve all rights and forbid republications,

arrangement

VALUE OF SYRIA

SUCCESS

General Dentz's forces and the

the Indian Ocean,

weapons, Japanese advance air bases must be situated in Thai- land, an ally, and also in Indo-

arras stoly or in part without previous Japanese War at Port four in Thai terrain. Each The island of Singapore is 27 China; for these latter Japan Arthur. Blockade by sea trail over the hills is a miles long by 14 miles wide. may still have to fight a pre- and investment by land are potential threat to the rail- The city, on the southeastern liminary campaign.

Unopposed by an aggressive indicated. In contempla- way. More important, Bri- corner, is open to the Straits of tion of such joint action tish air power, based on Singapore, through which all defending force, Japan in 1904, THE signing and ratifying of Japan may make a grave Rangoon and Moulmein in deep-draft traffic must run be with complete command of the the armistice in Syrin between mistake, for there is a the north and Singapore in tween the South China Sea and sea, landed armies on the Liao-

certain illusory parallel be- the south, dominates the Allied armies brings to a satis-tween investment of Singa- entire line of communica- factory end a campaign, neces-pore and the 1904-05 cam- tions within these respective sary but distasteful. It has paign on the Liaotung radii of action. afforded the British no pleasure Peninsula. Unless analysed Easier To Defend to take up arms against a for- carefully, this similarity mer ally, while the position of may lead to erroneous con- General de Gaulle's men who clusions. had to fight their own country. men can only be described us distressing. Happily the con-

No Finesse

tung Peninsula, invested Port But to bombard the city hos- Arthur and at the same time by fought tile warships must come within offensive movement

successful battles range of the British modern several long-range batteries of 16-inch against inept but stubborn Rus- sían armies outside the fortifica- and 18-inch guns on the island,

tions. covering all approach by water. In the final 350 miles of To reduce these batteries, heavy approach, where the penin- mobile artillery must be landed

on the mainland. The sole con- The operations began in May; sula widens in Malay States' nection of the island with this they were concluded in January territory to a 200-mile front, mainland is the lately completed of the next year after a most the mountains are split into Johore Causeway, on which expensive series of frontal at- flict has been brief-34 days to of land action is a rather south ridges, with a number Singapore railway.

three definite main north passes the line of the Bangkok- tacks. Manoeuvre, in the ac- cepted strategical sense, was en-

be precise-though the very fact that General Dentz con-

ance possible, naturally meant

in

Difficult Terrain

In both cases the theatre

to be blown up, RCCOYS to

narrow strait of

effort. Military authorities to-

tactical and strategical practice

hammer-blow frontal attack, re-

narrow peninsula on the of spurs running helter- The vital dockyards of the tirely lacking in the Japanese sidered it incumbent upon him-tip-of-which rests a supakelter. In this area an at- great naval base lie on the self to offer the strongest resist posedly impregnable for- tacking force would have north side of the island, where day in close touch with Japanese

tress. There the

resem-most trouble provided the also the air base is situated. As declare that the Japanese a considerable loss of life and blance ends. The Malay defenders had mobile troops last resort, were the causeway General Staff still lacks ese destruction to property and peninsula, split lengthways to oppose it. Hence the Singapore island would have to sense of military finesse. The livelihood which modern war- by a granite mountain Japanese chagrin upon the be over the fare carries in its wake. Even range, is crisscrossed later- landing in the Singapore Tebrau. That is, the final stage gardless of terrain or loss, is the

accepted doctrine. include 靄 close range ríver- With such historical back- this connection, however, ally by a number of water- area of Australian troops. of any attack on Singapore must

Up to that time the Japanese crossing, an element missing ground, and, for the first time in there is room for congratula-ways. The interior of the

plan of leisurely infiltration into from the Japanese assaults on Nippon's history, against an tion inasmuch as that the Allied country is largely unex- French Indo-China, to be Port Arthur 36 years ago. opponent of superior military troops made every effort to con-plored; a rank, equatorial followed by concentration at

mentality to balance lack of numerical strength, Japan's fine attacks to essentially mili-jungle, in which military Bangkok, accompanied doubtless by providentially "coincident"

southern expansion stage is set. tary projects and objectives, manoeuvres would be re- screams from Thai minorities in Summing up, to take Singa. In the wings stands the United and the historical sites of duced to a series of discon- the Malay States for freedom pore to-day Japan must carry on States. The propaganda, or-

from British Syria remain comparatively unnected minor actions.

oppression a joint naval and land operá- chestra is tuning up. Will the typical Axia procedure-seemed tion, which. can be brought to curtain rise? If the show goes touched.

The west shore of the well on the way to fruition. auccessful conclusion only after on will the last curtain ring The pattern was plain to be control of air and sca be ob- down with it the last vestiges of peninsula is a morass of seen ever since the first troop tained. The defenders will Japan's dream of Asiatic do- mangrove swamp. The cast movement several months ago, mass a full war-strength garri- minarice?

In the light of recent war developments it is rather more

difficult at the moment to ap praise the value of the Allied success in Syrin that it would have been a month ago. Then,

shore- where Japanese movement would be-is a succession of sandy beaches, there existed an immediate backed by pleasant forests, threat to the Suez Canal via but at times lashed by the Levant, and evidence was monsoons. From the main- in abundance that the Nazis land the neck stretches some were making full preparations 900 miles to Singapore, with of the French mandate. Gen-the Bangkok - Singapore. eral Maitland Wilson's armies railway running down struck quickly and forcefully through Siamese territory with the results as they are along the east shore to Germany turned her attention Songkla (Singore), whence to Russin and away from the it branches. One line loops Middle East, though it is ob around the west coast of vious that Hitler, if he can suc-

for assuming military control

known to-day. In the meantime

ceed on the eastern front, is not the Malay States, the other going to allow the present situa- Lion in the Mediterranean to remain undisturbed.

It is, therefore, highly prob- able that the full value of the FUNE

Syrian conquest will be realised FUND

in the future, if and when the FUND

Nazis attempt to gain control FUND of the eastern Mediterranean. OMBE

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tractable to Nazi pressure,

while the Allied forces are pro- vided with a pivot upon which they can operate freely and effectively either to the north, east or south should occasion demand. But the more im- mediate importance of the Syrin success is that the Nazis have been deprived of highly. strate- gical bases which, at one time, threatened to become thoirs for This, in itself, the "taking. justifies the Allied campaign.

Defensive Strength

Most of the Nazi-conquered peoples of Europe and many Asiatic races are represented in Singapore's Local Defence Corps (the Home Guard of the Straits Settlements), which forms a part of an alert and considerable fighting force. They serve alongside British residents of the port. Nationalities represented by the men in the picture above include Dutch, French, Czech and Chinese, besides. British.

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