THREE THOUSAND

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 79, 3 April 1943, Page 5

THREE THOUSAND

Australians Killed In New Guinea Fighting JAP LOSSES MUCH GREATER Rec. noon. SYDNEY, this day. The General Officer Commanding the Allied land forces in the Southwest Pacific, General Sir Thomas Blarney, revealed that 3000 Australians had been killed in the New Guinea fighting. This was only a small percentage of the enemy losses. Australian soldiers themselves buried at least 9000 Japanese dead. "Victories such as at the Owen Stanley Range, Buna and Gona were won only by men with the conscious superiority of soldiers of the type of the Ninth Division," said General Blarney. "It is a peculiar thing about an army that it is never any good until it is a veteran army." General Blarney praised the cooperation between the Americans and Australians in the combat zones, and declared that Australia, with a population of 7,000,000 had kept more men in the field per capita than anjy other part of the Empire as well as providing them with equipment. General Mac Arthur's latest communique states: North-western sector, Dutch New Guinea-Kaimana: One of our bedium bombers, intercepted by two enemy fighters, shot both out of action without sustaining damage. Tanimbar Islands, Saumlaki: Our medium units bombed an enemy occupied town. . Northeastern sector, New Guinea, Finschhafen: One of our heavy units bombed a harbour area. Mubo: Our attack planes bombed and strafed enemy positions in the Kitchen Creek area from a low altitude, starting numerous fires. No hostile aircraft were encountered.