NO ESCAPE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 117, 13 November 1943, Page 8

NO ESCAPE

ROUND-UP OF JAPS

TREASURY ISLANDS ASSAULT (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) TREASURY ISLANDS, Nov. 6. The Japanese were beaten from the moment the New Zealanders established a firm foothold on the narrow beaches of Treasury Islands about a week ago. Bustled out of the open spaces into the shadowy jungle tracks by the fierce close-quarter assault they lost cohesion, split into small bands of up to 50 men, and made for a few coves on the eastern shores, where they were thrashed in a series of detached engagements. As on Vella Lavella, the Japanese abandoned rations and equipment as they fled. '' Within a few days theirs was a tired, hunted, and-hungry force, desperately seeking a means of escape that was denied them at every turn. The New Zealanders fought the Mono. Island engagement in a manner that brought results quickly. Their main force landed on the southern coast of Mono, inside Blanche Harbour, and subsidiary forces occupied Stirling Island and Soanotalu and Malsi Bays, on the north and . east shores of Mono" respectively. Within a few days another force worked west to Ulapu, thus completing the occupation of the only bays from which the enemy might have had a chance ot being evacuated. . The coast of Treasury Islands is rugged, with cliffs of coral rising from 30 to 40 feet from the deep ocean. The absence of ,shallow surrounding reefs lets in a heavy swell that Preludes the use of most of the shore. Only m the confines of Blanche Harbour is there space to manoeuvre shipping and belches on which to effect landings of an Wi Sthm 24 hours Allied anti-aircraft guns and heavy artillery had covered every approach to the harbour and outlying bays, so that even had the Japanese- attempted reinforcement from Bougainville the operation would have been costly. As.it happened, enemy bombers were the only interfering agency. They, came over for a few nights in a series of haphazard raids until the American landing on the Bougainville mainland, after which peace reigned in the air over the Treasury Islands. INFANTRY BLOCK ESCAPE. The infantry lost no time in moving out from their perimeter round Falamai beach, and several companies drove into the centre of Mono Island, fanning from there down three mam valleys towards Ulapu, Soanotalu, and *Malsi.. There was heavy fighting at Soanotalu and Malsi when the trapped Japanese tried desperately to hit the beach and get away on the Allied landing craft, but our positions held firm and the number of Japanese dead mounted every day. .- : The value of the assistance from the island natives was proved on the Treasurj' Islands as it had been at Vella Lavella. Their knowledge of the jungle tracks and of likely hiding places led the New Zealanders quickly to the enemy trails and speeded up the pursuit.. There, was less inactivity than on Vella Lavella. Night fighting was a regular feature of the campaign, and in this first acquaintance with such a type of. fighting the New Zealanders proved themselves the masters of the Japanese. In one encounter, lasting from shortly after midnight until 8 a.m., 26 Japanese were killed, against the loss of two New Zealanders killed and eight wounded. Once again the artillery found a useful task in harassing the retreating enemy and dispersing his groups from concentrated areas. Our mortar fire added to the enemy's discomfort, kept him moving, arid forced him in his haste to leave supplies strewn along his' trail. By far the greater part of the Japanese estimated strength of from 250 to 300 men had been killed in the .first week's fighting, with an indeterminate number of wounded still to be contacted. Prisoners were being brought in towards the close of the weak. They were weak with hunger and exposure, and had abandoned their weapons. Willing to talk freely and responding to humane treatment, they even drew maps of the enemy concentration areas. They said that many more Japanese were prepared to surrender rather than face certain destruction.

New Zealand patrols are now completing the search for groups of enemy wounded, and the small parties indicated by the prisoners, and the end of active operations is close at hand.