NEW GUINEA FRONT

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23747, 19 September 1942, Page 5

NEW GUINEA FRONT

Sporadic Fighting Reported

JAPANESE BASES RAIDED (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 1 a.m.) SYDNEY. Sept. 18. The fighting in the Owen Stanley ranges in New Guinea, described yesterday as serious, is reported in today's south-west Pacific headquarters communique to be “sporadic.” This is believed to indicate that scattered patrol activity has been resumed. A spokesman at General MacArthur's headquarters stated that there was still considerable manoeuvring for position. Although the New Guinea land fighting has diminished in Intensity, Allied aircraft have again been active in this sector, making heavy raids on Japanese bases. Buna, which has now been attacked 27 times since the Japanese established themselves there on July 21. was again raided on Thursday by Allied fighters. More than 35,000 can-

non shells and machine-gun bullets were fired into barges and supply dumps. Observers counted at least 15 landing-barges destroyed or damaged, and the flames of blazing fuel stores and dumps were visible 25 miles away. Flying Fortresses made a large-scale raid against Rabaul on Wednesday night, blasting aerodrome installations and the wharf area. An unspecified number of grounded aircraft were destroyed, and when the raid was over fires were visible 30 miles away. Enemy installations at Gasmata, in New Britain, were also raided, with undetermined results. Unless the Japanese can create a second menacing thrust against Port Moresby, Australian observers feel that the present push in the lorabaiwa area is likely to be costly to the enemy. The Australian defenders are now only three days’ march from their base at Port Moresby, with a consequent speedier call on ground reinforcements as well as close air support. However, the area of the present fightjng still favours the .Japanese infiltration tactics. and the’ supply advantages steadily accruing to the Australian forces may not become apparent until further enemy advances have been made. The Japanese are now about nine days’ distance from their starting point at Kokoda. They are well down on the southern slopes of the range, at an altitude between 2000 and 3000 feet. The country between them and the road leading to Port Moresby is still steep and rough, with sticky, slippery mud covering razorbacks 1000 feet high.

OPTIMISM ABOUT PACIFIC

ALLIED COMMANDERS CRITICISED

“CONFIDENT AND RASH STATEMENTS ” NEW YORK. Sept. 17. Sharply criticising “confident and rash statements from the broad reaches of the Pacific,” the New York “Herald-Tribune" quotes recent optimistic enunciations by General Sir Thomas Blarney, Bear-Admiral Blandy, and Major-General Kenny, and adds: “In the face of these triumphs of the mimeograph machines, it was unkind of the Japanese to launch another determined attempt on Guadalcanar.’’ Between bureaucratic secrecy and stupidity and legitimate suppression of military information, the public has been confused and even misled so often that it is rapidly losing confidence in official statements, and it is getting tired of war by guff, emotion, and sound effects.

‘‘Furthermore, it is acquiring an uneasy suspicion that throughout the conduct of the war has been too much brag and calculated publicity, too much concealing of failure, and too little of harsh realism. This vice is certainly running from the top to the bottom, but there might be less among the masses at the bottom if fewer examples were offered at the top.” The “Star,” London, criticising General Blarney’s statement that the Japanese will not take Port Moresby, states: “General Blarney stands for the cheerful optimist who is always reassuring. When the Nazis reached Boulogne his type told us that we had the enemy just where we wanted him. Singapore, for them, was a fortress that would never fall. They seek to persuade us that the, Japanese have reached the limit of their expansion. “We cannot be complacent about Port Moresby, and to-day the struggle for it may roach a crisis. It is most important for the defence of Australia, far more important than Guadalcanar. We are still on the defensive at our chosen fighting point in the Pacific. “The United Nations must destroy the Japanese aircraft-carrier strength before they can undertake sure land offensives. Eight Japanese carriers are known to be afloat, and they are a menace to any operations from the Aleutians to New Guinea. We in Britain are inclined to complacency about the Pacific, imagining that we will easily dislodge the Japanese after the Nazis are beaten, but the Japanese in the south Pacific endanger the whole world-wide task of the United Nations.’’

U.S. SUBMARINES ACTIVE

VESSELS ATTACKED IN FAR EAST (Rec. 1.45 a.m.) WASHINGTON. Sept. 18. A naval communique says that United States submarines reported the following results of operations against the enemy in Far Eastern Two large freighters, one mediumsized freighter, one small patrol boat sunk; one large tanker damaged and left afire, one large freighter, one large transport, and one medium-sized cargo ship damaged. These actions were not announced previously and are not related to Solomons operations.

N.Z. SQUADRON’S SUCCESS CONVOY ATTACKED OFF NORWAY (Rec. 11,15 p.m.) LONDON, Sepf.. 18, Patrols from a New Zealand squadron of the Coastal Command attacked an enemy* convoy off the coast of Norway, sinking two supply ships. Torpedoes scored direct hits. This is the first success of this squadron which was only recently formed. AH the aircraft returned safely. According to a reliable source in Oslo, submarines and aeroplanes Inst week sank 24 German ships off the Norwegian coast.

The strengthening of the Allied blockade of Norway in recent weeks is believed to have contributed to the halting of the German'offensive against Murmansk, after the initial successes.