JAPANESE LOSING

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 277, 19 August 1944, Page 7

JAPANESE LOSING

Strategic Battle For: Philippines SHIPPING SHRINKAGE (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received August 18, 9.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 18. The Japanese are rapidly losing a vital strategic battle at approaches to the Philippines. Twenty-thfee more parked enemy planes were destroyed by South-west Pacific bombers! in their latest blow at Halmahera, the Japanese stronghold in the Moluccas, only 350 miles from the Philippines. The defence of Halmahera has cost the Japanese 68 planes destroyed and more than. 70 more either destroyed or seriously damaged in the past six in the same period nearly 50,000 tons of enemy shipping have been sunk or crippled at Halmahera. These losses, mainly in small merchantmen, 22 ot which were hit by Allied bombers, have been severe blows to Japanese sea communications. The . merchantmen were mostly unescorted, the enemy cruisers, destroyers, and corvettes, which formerly convoyed merchant shipping in the area, being noticeably absent. The latest ■ raid on Halmahera was made on Wednesday by Liberators and Mitchells and was not opposed by Japanese fighters. The 87 tons of bombs dropped was the second heaviest raid yet made on the base. General MacArthur s spokesman says the continued Allied air blows have almost isolated Halmahera. Outlying Japanese garrisons at Halmahera, and in the Ceram, Banda, and Arafur Seas, are dependent on dwindling supplies because the enemy can no longer risk his heavy shipping forward of the Philippines—Celebes —Ceram line. Forward enemy garrisons are now forced to depend for supplies on small ships, sailing vessels, luggers, and local small “The capacity of this makeshift shipping is not sufficient for even essential items such as munitions and aviation gasoline,” says General MacArthur’s communique today. “For distribution forward of Halmahera the enemy is now compelled to rely on an inadequate barge traffic, which is subject to heavy attrition in an attempt to evade our ex-, tensive air and naval patrol net.. lhe strategic effect of this rapid shrinkage of his sea communications is to threaten further the enemy’s vital Philippines— Halmahera defence line.”