WARY AND SLOW

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 239, 9 October 1942, Page 3

WARY AND SLOW

NEW GUINEA ADVANCE

Australians Face Obstacles

That Beat Japs.

Special Australian Correspondent

SYDNEY, Oct. 8. c/' T , he i ncre dibly difficult Owen Stanley Range presents almost insuperable complications in the maintenance of supply lines to troop units of any size," says the latest communique from General Mac Arthur's Headquarters.

The enemy, as we expected, has discovered that his supply problems, aggravated by our constant air attacks, were impossible of immediate solution. His dislodgment at his farthest point of advance and the pursuit of his exhausted forces, has been accomplished with practically no loss to our troops up to the present time. The same difficulties of terrain are now progressively slowing down the advance of our ground troops."

There has been no offensive activity to-day by the opposing air forces. Allied planes made reconnaissance flights on Wednesday, but targets, so plentiful during the Japanese advance and subsequent retreat across the range, appear to have become scarce. For 30 days our air forces have maintained an" unbroken offensive against the enemy's north Papuan base at Buna and his supply line over the range. A headquarters spokesman said today that the Australian advance was continuing, but progress was wary and slow. The possibility of a Japanese trap for too venturesome attackers is not being overlooked. Some observers suggest that there are still at least small parties of enemy troops in the area of Hell's Gap, but this is not officially confirmed.

Enemy in Sorry Plight

Native carriers who deserted from the Japanese say the enemy troops were in a sorry plight after weeks in the range. They were short of food supplies and were suffering from a high incidence of tropical diseases.

While it is generally conceded that difficulties of terrain have been the greatest factor in forcing the Japanese retirement, the New York Times New Guinea correspondent, Mr. Byron Darnton, pays a tribute to the Australian troops, who have "obliterated the myth of Japanese invincibility in mountain and jungle." But he points out that the enemy withdrew in good order and took with them a large amount of their equipment.

Talk of a so-called mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the Japanese forces is no doubt prompted mainly by the reluctance of General Mac Arthur's Headquarters to release prematurely information which may have been gathered from aerial and ground patrol activities.

The only certainty at the present juncture of the campaign is that the Australian forces are wisely bent on establishing forward positions and securing their supply line before moving further forward, and that they will not be lured into a helterskelter chase after the unpredictable enemy.