BEHIND JAPANESE LINES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 120, 16 February 1944, Page 5

BEHIND JAPANESE LINES

Late Lt.-Colonel Matheson

EXPLOITS WHICH GAINED U.S. DECORATION

A cablegram from Melbourne on Saturday announced that LieutenantColonel D. G. Matheson, M.C., MAU D.S.C., of the Australian Imperial Force, had been reported killed in action on January 30, and subsequent death notices in Wellington newspapers have stated that his death occurred in New Guinea. Lieutenant-Colonel Matheson was the second son of Mrs. and the late Mr. J. Matheson, Hastings, and brother of W.A.A.F. Sgt. G. Matheson, R.N.Z.A.F., Rongotai, and Mr. M. Matheson, Lower Hutt He was awarded the United States Distinguished Service Cross for “extraordinary heroism” on Guadalcanal in December, 1942. His Military Cross and Military Medal were won in the last war, in which he enlisted at the age .of 13. In this war he became one of Australia’s top-grade commando leaders, and it was to assist in the training of American commando troops—rangers — that he was attached to the United States Army forces on Guadalcanal. Early last year Lieut.-Colonel Matheson was invalided from the front to New Zealand, and while in hospital gave, in an interview with a “Dominion” reporter, an account of some of his experiences. Japanese Jungle Habits.

“The Japanese have made the bush their friend in many ways, but they are lacking in true bush sense. The average Australian or American bushman can

lick them kite high. Papua and the Solomons have proved that,” he said. He had actually visited Guadalcanal before the United States Marines landed there, end was therefore well acquainted with) the area and with the jungle conditions in which he was operating. He led parties into the Japanese back areas,

forming estimates of numerical concentrations, marking down the positions in which the concentrations are sited, locating gun positions, searching out supply dumps, and finding out the enemy food position. The parties normally consisted of the colonel, an American officer, and three or four native Solomon islanders. The latter were either ex-policemen; boys, or guides, and were intensely loyal to the Allies and fanatically anti-Japanese. The colonel said that many Japanese had been wiped out by the island natives. Warning of Attacks.

Not the least important duty of the scouting parties was to ascertain if the enemy was preparing to attack, and, if so, to discover the direction and objective of the attack. _ Warning carried back to our lines permitted the necessary dispositions to be made to counter the enemy moves.

It takes time to train a city dweller to bushcraft, the colonel said, but the natural bushman knows how to keep his eyes open and what to look for.' He can detect the Jap. every time. “The Japs use the trees, and know which they can cut down for food. They know which fruit is safe to eat and which vines to cut to get water. They know enough to keep off the jungle tracks, but when they get off them leave so much sign that it is easy to see where they have passed. They are good with their fires. Whenever they light one there are always three or four men to wave branches over and disperse the smoke so that it filters imperceptibly upward through the trees. Their camouflage is very good, and. if is very easy for anyone not sufficiently vigilant to walk right up to one of them ’and not know he is there. And they are very treacherous too. “I would not say the fanatical character is universal among them,” the colonej said. “Certain of them are fanatical by instinct, and the others feel ashamed not to follojv their example. They have a one-track mind. They formulate a plan and try to force it through irrespective of what modification of the expected circumstances may arise. This has proved very costly to them in some of their enterprises. “The Japanese owe a good deal to their use of smokeless powder,” the colonel continued. “They are not good shots and for that reason hold their fire till their target comes close. Their mortar work is very good and accurate at longer range. This is probably due to the knee-high type of weapon, which has no sights. They find their target, and being very used to, and accurate in, estimating range know just what angle of , elevation at which to fire them.

“They keep very poor local security behind their lines. I don’t know whether it is that they are so confident that we cannot get among them. Their positions now are mainly in the hills and valleys of the high country, and their observation posts are very efficient. In my type of work, ihowever, they are very clumsy.

“Practically every Japanese soldier keeps a diary,” the colonel stated, “and quite a number of them in English. It would astound you how much those Japs know about us. I personally don t think there is much they don’t know.” Experiences Behind Enemy lanes.

The colonel’s description of his experiences when on scouting expeditions behind the enemy lines makes it clear that it is a hazardous and arduous job. The scouts cannot smoke for fear of revealing their positions. Most of the movement is carried through at night, and they have some very close calls. If combat does occur, firearms are only used in the .greatest extremity, for the noise reveals position and entails the transference of activity to another area. Knives are relied on as far as possible, and the life and death struggles kept silent. “I have had one or two close calls myself,” the colonel says. “I have been within a yard of a Japanese sentry and managed to escape observation by lying absolutely motionless close to the ground. “We take canned rations into the jungle with us, and pick up what native foods we can. This is also supplemented with natural foods from the bush. “During the last stunt I was on before coming away from the island we managed to sort out the positions occupied by more than 1500 of the enemy, and they were later dealt with from the air.”

The colonel had been away from New Zealand about 20 years. He was born in Waihi and attended Napier High School and Dannevirke High School before going to Australia. He was a mining engineer in civil life and had been in South America, Malaya, Borneo, New Guinea, Siam, Burma, Japan, China, and Africa while following his profession. He had just arrived back in Australia from the west coast of Africa when the war broke out and enlisted in the A.I.F. in Western Australia. The colonel concluded the interview by saying that as soon as he was fit again he was going back, and back he went, despite medical protestation, within a few weeks, but fighting with the Australian forces in New Guinea, instead of on Guadalcanal.