NEW FURY IN LAND BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 60, 4 December 1942, Page 5

NEW FURY IN LAND BATTLE

Japanese Pocketed (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received December 3, 11.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, December 3. Simultaneously with the sea-and air action off the north New Guinea coast, a new pitch of fury has been reached in the land buttle for Buna. Driving ahead in the wake of shattering air and artillery bombardments, American ground forces have now entered the outskirts of Buna village. Australian units penetrated enemy positions near Gbna and are advancing along the beach toward Sanananda. A further combined American and Australian force is making a drive against Sanananda from Soputa, but progress Is slow and painful since the Allies are forced to make wide detours round chest-deep sago swamps. Sanananda lies at the centre of the enemy fortress area. The Japanese continue to contest every foot of the Allied advance. W. E. Lucas, the "Christian Science Monitor” war correspondent says that to enter the outskirts of Buna, the Americans had to “squirm their way through undergrowth dank from'’ millions of sunless years before rising for a final 10-yard charge through withering fire.” In the Gona salient our advancing troops captured a Japanese post where among the the equipment were 40 Bren guns which must have been taken from the Allies in the earlier campaign. These latest Allied z gains in the Papuan land battle have the important effect of pocketing and isolating Japanese resistance, thus cutting off the strongpoints from,essential supplies. For the past few days the position of General Horrii’s beach head army has steadily deteriorated, but no complete collapse of the defence can be expected.