JAPANESE UNDER HEAVY STRAIN

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

JAPANESE UNDER HEAVY STRAIN

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received December 3, 10.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, December 3. An unmistakable sign that the enemy garrison on the Papuan beachhead is under heavy strain, is the growing inaccuracy of anti-aircraft fire Bv night as well as by day, our bombers, attack planes and fighters, piloted mainly by Americans aro pouring high explosives into the Japanese coastal fortress. “This has been no small-scale aenai sideshow, but a tremendous, sustained offensive against limited objectives, writes a New Guinea war col ’f es P°?,f ent. Contracting the scope of the fl o W ing meant, however, that the bombiite has had to be concentrated on the enemy’s rearward strong-points. A feature of Wednesday’s air activity was the daring of Australian pilots in three Wirraways (obsolete for operational purposes). Engaged on an observation mission, the Pffots decided to take a hand in the fight, and strafed enemy barges and machinegun posts along the coastal Combined, with the aerial offensive, ceaseless artillery and mortar bombardments against Japanese strongpointe have meant for many days that the enemy garrison has been given no chance to rest and so regain some of its strength. The fighting quality of the Japanese has never been better displayed than in their present resistauc, which is described in today s communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters as of the greatest fierceness.” Jungle Fired.

Efforts are being made to smoke and burn the Japanese out of the most stubborn of their beach-head positions at Buna. Allied aircraft dropped incendiary bombs to start fires in the coastal jungle, and these are reported to have taken a good hold. Fierce fighting continues at the four main centres of enemy resistance—the air landing strip slightly west of Cape Endiadere, the main Buna air strip, Sanananda Point, and the Goiia mission. All are within range of Allied artillery, and some are within range of our concentrated mortar fire. When the Australians fighting around Gona cleared the enemy from another section of beach to the southeast large stocks of medical and other supplies were captured. The Japanese casualties in the fight for the beach were substantial. Enemy survivors of the fight attempted to escape from the Australians by swimming out to a wreck offshore. This was apparently a planned move, as the swimmers wore lifebelts. Our machine-gunners, however, anticipated the plan, and, lying on the beach, picked off the Japanese aa they endeavoured to reach their haven.