INVASION TROOPS CONSOLIDATING POSITIONS ON ARAWE PENINSULA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13331, 18 December 1943, Page 3

INVASION TROOPS CONSOLIDATING POSITIONS ON ARAWE PENINSULA

MAIN JAPANESE SUPPLY LINE TO GASMATA IS CUT London, December 17.

The American invasion troops in New Britain are now reported to be consolidating their positions in the Arawe Peninsula. Correspondents at Allied headquarters sav they are already pushing inland from their bridgehead with tank support. Over the battlefield American aircraft have beaten off several Japanese air attacks. An American broadcast quoted by • Reuter said to-night that the troops were getting excellent cover against their attack by both fighters and Allied ground defences, though wave after wave of Japanese bombers have been trying to get through. ' 1 According to this broadcast the Japanese are not putting up much resistance in tlm south-western sector and to the east the Americans are advancing up a ridge towards an impoitant iungb base. They are said to have cut the main Japanese supply line to Gasmata. Behind the American bridgehead the Allies now control the waters between Now Britain and Ncav Guinea. ' A correspondent w ho landed with the American forces in a despatch stresses the vital importance of blocking the Vitiaz Straits, which lie between New Britain and New Guinea, up to now one of the main Japanese suppiv lines from Ra.banl. Reports from the battle area say that the Allies lost no ships or planes during the invasion operations and casualties were light. General Mae Arthur directed operations from a base on the New Guinea mainland. A communique from bis headquarters says that ground casualties were light because heavy air bombardments had previously softened up the enemy positions. A member of the Australian Broadcasting Commission who landed with the invaders said the landing parties had to negotiate coral reefs in small rubber boats, and it was surprising how successfully they managed to do this. Naval guns had reduced the Japanese machine-gun nests in the high ground to shreds and so there was little opposition from this quarter, which accounted for the lightness of casualties. The landings were preceded by a heavy naval bombardment bv American and Australian destroyers, which crushed tin 1 Japanese sboro defences and covered the narrow opening through which the small landing boats made their way toward the shore. Rear-Admiral Daniel Barbay, commander of the United States Seventh Amphibious Task Force, watched the operations from a destroyer.