JAPANESE IN BORNEO

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24603, 27 June 1945, Page 7

JAPANESE IN BORNEO

REDUCTION BY ALLIED FORCES

GROUND, AIR. AND NAVAL ASSAULT (NJS. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 0 pm.) WASHINGTON, June »j. “Our ground, air, and naval units, have continued foe reduction of mgmy forces In Borneo.” says General MacArthur’s communique. . Aircraft destroyed four enemy coastal vetote*and damaged others under construction to the Pontlanak area. They hMvtiyhit Ba'te Papan and set fire to fuel dumps in foe northern coast’’ . . The first Allied link-up since foe landings on the oil island of Borneo may soon materialise, according to battle reports from Borneo on Monday, which put foe Australian forward units striking south from foe captured Oilfield of Seria within 25 mites of other Australian troops in the northern oilfield area of Sarawak, write a commentator in foe Far .East The Australian forces are striking new blows against Japan’s dwindling oil supplies in Borneo. They are making new advances in the northern Sarawak ouSelds while American bomber and ghter squadrons attack the great® l } centre of BRUk Papan, on the east °°The Tokyo radio states that civilians have been evacuated inland from Bali* p at>an A tiny flying jeep reconnaissance aeroplane, manned by two men, sanx a small craft carrying fleeing Japanese troops from Mindanao to Negros, says the Associated Press correspondent at the 18th United State Army Air Force base in the Philippines. The airmen peppered foe shin with tommy guns and sank it with hand ffenades. than summoned a gunboat. Which captured six survivors.

CAGAYAN VALLEY

‘‘ JAPANESE THOROUGHLY TRAPPED” (Rec. 9 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Junß 25> “American troops have f oow thoroughly trappedfoeJapanew torn* to the Cagayan valley,’* reports General MacArtbur’s communique. ‘The 37th Division has advanced down foe valley to within four miles of Tuguegarao, and our northern column is pushing southward from foe Apam sect°«The 10th Corps and Philippine guerrilla units are aggressively mopping up isolated enemy groups on Mtodanao. Heavy bombers bombed the Kobi alcohol refinery oh Fotmpsa ana other aircraft enforcing a coastal blockade wrecked jnree freighters and destroyed two nrge sailing ships southwest of King Kong. They bombed petroleum storage areas at Nanking mid set fire ,to ap arsenal near Canton,

NOTABLE GAINS BY A.I.F.

NEW GUINEA AND BOUGAINVILLE

(Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 26. Two important Australian sUCceSste to the island battles against foe Japanese are reported to-day. in New, Guinea the A.I.F. , 6th Division .has stormed and taken MountTazaki after the most bitter fighting or the Wewkk campaign; in southern BougaumHC (Solomons) the Australian .3rd pWh* sion has reached the Mobiai fiver pin the southern tip of the island, repulsing art all-out effort by the Japanese to halt foeir drive. Announcing these successes, tile Army Department says that to drive the Japanese from Mount Tazakl after a fight throughout the aaytoe? A«»tralians had to advance 800 yards across R narrow front ‘exposed to deadly enfilading fire. However, because of the concentrated, artillery support which was Australian casualties were Rglfr . Japanese losses are expected to beheavy. xneir dead have not yet been coupted.. tti Mount TRcaki,, m the Ttertceui mountains towering over the Weyja* coast was one of foe town which foe Japanese hoped to retain in older to deny foe ther entry into mountains, which protect foe island strongholds. Mopping Up m foe immediate area of Mbunt Tazaki is expected to occupy some .days. . - to SoUthßrn BougamvdMi - onfe Australian force has crossed the Mobiai river after a heavy artillery barrage. Actions described by the, Aitoy an* nouncemeht as “partieidarlytotoge are being fought oh both banks of foe fI A communique from General MacArthur says;— . „ “Australian ground forces nave counted . additional dead on New Guinea, Bougainville. and NW Britain, bringing the total in these areas ttoce the beginning of foe year to_ 972S enemy dead and 226 taken prisoner. Royal New Zealand Air Force, Fat Eastern, Marine, and Royal Australia® Air Force aircraft are effectively sup-, porting these operations.”

WOUNDED MEN RESCUED

AUSTRALIAN N.C.O.’S GALLANTRY

(Rec. 9.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 28. An Australian, Lance-Corporal Owen George O’Connor, aged 20. has been cited for gallantry m southern Bou*gainville (Solomons). Lance-Corporal 0 Connor stood guard over a wounded man when three Japanese attacked with fixed bayonets. HeMkllled them dll and theft* tinder fire carried the wounded man to safety. He returned to save a second wounded comrade, gave covering fire so that a third wounded man could escape, and finally rescued a fourth man pinned down by enemy fire. Lance-Corporal O’Connor was second in command of a nine-man patrol, whose task was to locate a suspected Japanese headquarters.

HEAVY RAIN IN BURMA

(flee. 12.1 a.m.) LONDON, June 28. A South-East Asia Command communique says: “Heavy rain has flooded the country over a wide area and hampered operations, which were 'confined to patrols and local artillery engagements. Our patrols in the area 40 miles south-east of Prome reported that seven villages were clear Of the Japanese and that Indians patrolling 20 miles east of prome found 11 villages clear.” Lieutenant-General Sir William Slim. Commander of the 14th Army in Burma, speaking in Edinburgh, said that one of the questions he was most frequently asked was when the war with Japan was going to end. “I have only one answer, he said ‘lf you send Us the Stuff we shall finish the Job. We have gone on for a long time on two bootlaces and a bamboo, but if you want this War finished quickly we must have the St t4eUtenant-Genera! Slim said that the medical returns of the 14th Army were shown to him just before b« left Bunn*