PATROLS ACTIVE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 31, 16 November 1943, Page 3

PATROLS ACTIVE.

IN MOUNTAINS OF NEW GUINEA. ALLIED SMALL CRAFT BUSY SYDNEY, Nov. 15. Although thrust temporarily into the news background by the more spectacular engagements in the Solomons, sharp land fighting continues in northern New Guinea. Much of this has occurred in the course of incessant patrol activity during which Australian troops have plotted the Japanese defence positions, both in the Ramu Valley and round Finschhafen on the coast.

The enemy forces in the Ramu Val

ley are holding strong mountain positions protecting their main supply route. Spasmodic artillery exchanges continue to occur between advanced forces, with some sharp local encounters against Japanese forward positions still held in the Finschhafen area.

The Japanese are established on a series of 3000-foot razor-backed crests at Satelberg. Deep gullies and precipitous ravines covered with thick bamboo and heavy jungle separate the Australian and Japanese lines. Australian artillery maintains a continual harassing fire on the enemy positions, but tlje Japanese have made no effort to counter-shell the Australian pqsitions.

The Allies are also keeping up a little publicised sea offensive along the north New Guinea coast. Almost every night United States Navy patrol torpedo-boats penetrate deep into the seaward approaches to Japanese-held territory in order to harry the enemy’s barge communications. A heavy toll in barges is being exacted. An Australian war correspondent who recently went on one of these torpedo-boats’ raids reports that the toll for that particular night was four barges put out o*f commission and a supply dump set alight. The Allies suffered one casualty and superficial damage to two craft. “The action came when straining eyes reported a suspicious series of black objects inshore,” he writes. “Two small barges stacked high with a 10-ton load of stores lay together, and about 50 yards away were two 'barges four times larger. “At close range all our guns crashed into action, and a stream of tracer bullets, interspersed with incendiary and armoui’-piercing bullets, poured into our targets. Figures suddenly clambered over the barges’ gunwales and raced for the' shelter of the jungle. Two staggered and fell and lay spreadeagled on the two large barges returned our fire. Bullets swept our deck, and a man beside me collapsed, seriously wounded. We raced out of range and made another run. The guns oil the larger barges were silenced as our shells and incendiaries crashed into them, and a dull red glow covI ered them.”