VALUE OF MUNDA

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 269, 9 August 1943, Page 4

VALUE OF MUNDA

Advantages Gained (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received August 8. 9 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 8. _ With Munda captured by the Americans, an assault on Kolombangara Island, with the Japanese air base at Vila planta-i tion, is ithe logical next step in the Allies’ 1 South-west Pacific offensive. This view is expressed by an Australian war correspondent in the Solomons. Heavy artillery on the northern coast of New Georgia will be able to shell-Vila across Kula, Gulf —just as Munda had bceu shelled from Rendova Island. Munda’s fall carries the Allies nearly half-way to their strategic objective. Ra-i baul, from the east. It will provide a. bomber base just 400 miles from this key enemy South-west Pacific stronghold. Japan's northern Solomons bases are’ also brought within easy range —-Kahili 125 miles. Kieta 140, Buka 220. The correspondent says Munda is a valuable point for the invasion of Bougainville—generally regarded as an essential preliminary to attacks against Rabaul. With Munda in our hands, Allied warships will be able to operate farther north under cover of our land-based aircraft, which will also be given extra hours of flying time over Japanese territory. Munda is 175 miles north of Henderson airfield, Guadalcanal. Its capture, exactly one year after the Allied landing on Guada*.canal,, has been accompanied by a tremendous toll of Japanese ships and aircraft. In the past 12 months 96 Japanese warships and naval auxiliaries have been sunk, 18 probably sunk and 129-damaged in the South Pacific command area. In addition. 1802 Japanese aircraft have been shot down, while the Allies have lost fewer than a quarter that number. The Japanese warships sunk included Itwo battleships, 15 cruisers and 42 destroyers; probably sunk, one air-craft-carrier and three cruisers and 13 destrovers; damaged, three aircraft-carriers, six battleships, 2o cruisers and oO destroyers. Allied war shipping losses have been 41 ships sunk and nine damaged. The sinkings included two aircraft-car-riers, four heavy cruisers, four light cruisers and 17 destroyers, and one light cruiser, one heavy cruiser and five destroyers were damaged.