JAPANESE FLEEING ON BOUGAINVILLE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 303, 22 December 1943, Page 5

JAPANESE FLEEING ON BOUGAINVILLE

MOVING NORTHWARD

"Enemy Pacific Air Power Negligible" N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. noon. WASHINGTON, Dec. 21. The Japanese are apparently fleeing from the heavily-defended southern part of Bougainville Island, Northern Solomons, and attempting to concentrate their forces farther north, the Secretary of the Navy, Colonel Knox, told his Press conference to-clay. This movement of enemy forces, he said, was taking place by sea and land. None of the Japanese airfields on Bougainville is usable, all having been rendered Inoperable by constant bombing. According to a statement by Ad. miral Halsey's spokesman at South Pacific Headquarters, airmen have seen much foot traffic moving along the east coast trails, which are the only routes over which the Japanese in the southern part of Bougainville are able to move by land because the American beachhead bars the way westward.

There is also a marked increase in barge traffic to the north. It is believed the Japanese are moving considerable numbers from Buin to Buka. Heavy air attacks have been made in the Buin-Faisi area, where more than 100 of Admiral Halsey's torpedo and dive-bombers destroyed numerous buildings, an ammunition dump and two bridges. United States forces under Lieutenant-General Millard Harmon have taken over ground operations on Bougainville Island from the marines, says a statement from the South-west Pacific. During the week ended yesterday, Colonel Knox said, 71 American air missions were carried out in the Pacific. Nine were against the Marshall Islands, where 19 Japanese planes were definitely shot down and nine probably destroyed, compared with three American planes lost. More than 60 missions, with 1400 planes participating, were carried out in the South Pacific area. Colonel Knox confirmed statements to the effect that Japanese air opposition in the Pacific was negligible. He added that it was difficult to understand the lack of Japanese counter air activity. On some missions not a single enemy plane was encountered.