ALLIED GAINS IN NEW GUINEA

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24275, 5 June 1944, Page 5

ALLIED GAINS IN NEW GUINEA

Further Landings

Made

TROOP BARGES SUNK (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) tKec. II p.m.) SYDNEY, June 4, United ■ Slates infantrymen have scaled Mokmer Ridge on Biak Island and are attacking Japanese cave strongholds. Enemy troops, entrenched in these hide-outs, command the narrow coastal strip leading to Biak Island’s three airfields. The ridge must be captured before the Americans can resume their westward advance to the aerodromes. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting is likely before the Japanese are cleared from their foxholes,

On Friday, Americans also occupied open ground north of Bosnek village. A Japanese counter-attack was repulsed with some casualties. About 200 additional enemy dead have been counted.

New landings have been made by Americans on Owi and Woeidi, two small islands just south of Biak. When 15 enemy fighter-bombers attempted a dusk attack, American anti-aircraft defences brought down seven. Meanwhile Allied bombers are pounding Japanese positions on Mokmer ridge and around Mokmer airfield.

Warships also shelled the area and sank three troop-laden enemy barges. Much hard fighting lies ahead before Biak’s throe airstrips are taken and repaired for use by Allied bombers and fighters. But when this is achieved the outlook will be grim for the Japanese air garrisons in the remaining Dutch New Guinea bases. Dominated from Biak, they can expect a repetition of the shattering raids which blasted Rabaul, Wewak, and Hollandia into ineffectiveness. Halmahera. Dutch East Indies. Palau Islands, and Mindanao, southern Philippines, will be within mass-raid range. In British New Guinea a native supply train and its escort were ambushed by Japanese forces 20 miles south-east of Aitape. In this and another skirmish nine Americans and six natives were killed, The Japanese, who were armed with machine-guns, rifles, and grenades, are believed to have been part of the forces known to be attempting the jungle “death march” from Wewak to Dutch New Guinea, a distance of nearly 200 miles. Relentless Allied air blows have made the food and ammunition supply position desperate for Japanese trapped in British New Guinea Tightening the cordon around these enemy forces, Australian troops have landed on Karkar Island, off Cape Croiselles.

In g low-level attack on Woleai, in the Caroline Islands, on Friday, General MacArthur’s Admiralty based Liberators caused heavy casualties to Japanese personnel surprised on the aerodrome. About. 2000 troops were caught on the field and casualties are estimated at 500.

RAID ON TRUK ATOLL

ENEMY SHIPPING ATTACKED

(Bee. 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, June 4. A Pacific Fleet communique reports that a single Navy search aeroplane bombed and strafed shipping and shore installations at Truk atoll on Thursday night. Four 10001b bombs were dropped on a medium-sized freighter. These scored two direct hits and two straddled the vessel, which is believed to have sunk. The search aeroplane strafed several freighters, the seaplane base at Dublon. and the airstrips on Eten Island. Two small vessels were set on fire, and fires were started at Dublon and Etcn, and an ammunition dump was exploded. A single enemy aeroplane pursued the search aeroplane, but did not attack it. Two Army Liberators bombed Shinushiri before dpwn on Thursday without encountering opposition. Navy Venturas attacked Paramusir and Shumushu, in the Kuriles, starling fires. JAPANESE GENERAL KILLED (Rpc. 11.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, June 4. The Tokyo radio has announced that Lieutenant General Katagari was killed in action on April 8 W'hilo directing operations in the Madang sector of New Guinea. BYPASSING ENEMY STRENGTH SUCCESSFUL PACIFIC TACTICS (Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 4. "What I have seen has convinced me absolutely that General Mac Arthur is well on his way to the Philippines,’’ said Mr Nelson T. Johnson, United States Minister to Canberra, who has just returned from a visit to New Guinea. MuJohnson said that by bypassing rather than attacking the cnpmy strength General MacArthui had so conserved lives that in all the south-west Pacific operations there had been fewer American troops killed in action than at the Anzio beachhead.

CAPTURED ENEMY BOMBS

USE BY AMERICAN AIRMEN

(Rec. n p.m.) SYDNEY, Juno 4. American, airmen operating from Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, are bombing Japanese bases with Japanese bombs found in captured ordnance dumps. They have been used against remnants of the enemy’s 18th Army attempting to escape from the area. Only minor alterations wore necessary to adapt the Japanese bombs for used in American planes.

Italian Trade Unions.—'The president QX the American NederaUon of Labour (Mr William .Greeril, has disclosed that American labour and union leaders will shortly go to Italy to aid in the re-establishment of trade unions there. The State Department has granted the necessary permission.— Washington, June 2.