JAP FORCE SPLIT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 1, 2 January 1943, Page 5

JAP FORCE SPLIT

AMERICAN SUCCESS AT BUNA

TROOPS REACH SEA

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, January 1. American forces have split the Japanese defences in the Buna mission area and driven a wedge right to the sea. Each part of the divided enemy force is now squeezed between Allied troops, and the Americans hold several hundreds of yards of beach in the area. Mopping up is proceeding in the new corridor. This latest hard-won success gives point to a brief New Year statement by General Mac Arthur, who said: "I have every hope that in the near future we shall close the Papua campaign with a decisive victory." Driving a wedge through the Japan-ese-held coconut groves proved a difficult operation and was carried out only by what General Mac Arthur's communique described as "tireless local assaults." SNIPERS IN TREES. Scores of enemy snipers were posted in the palms, and the area was studded with machine-gun emplacements. Stuart tanks assisted in further attacks, which resulted in the capture of much enemy equipment, including three-inch naval guns and anti-aircraft guns.... Though ,4he Allies have marked superiority in artillery, as in other airms, Japanese artillerymen put up formidable resistance. Several enemy gun crews were wiped out when one Japanese gun was under fire for more than an hour. As each lot of gunners were, killed they were replaced by men from nearby foxholes. War correspondents in * the Buna area believe the Japanese infantrymen would have given up the hopeless struggle some time ago had it not been for tbe fanaticism of the marines who reinforced them. Japanese officers are understood to have threatened to shoot any of their men who gave . way in the face of Allied assaults. The close nature of the fighting around Buna has restricted direct Allied air support, but our planes have been active over the Japanese Sanananda fortress area, where fierce fighting has flared up around enemy strongpoints along the track from Soputa.