HOLD SHRINKING

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 31, 6 August 1945, Page 5

HOLD SHRINKING

ENEMY ON BOUGAINVILLE WASHINGTON, August 5. "The 3rd Australian Division on Bougainville is steadily compressing isolated enemy forces into the. northern tip of the islands and driving scattered enemy groups in the centre of the island down the Emperor Range on the east coast," says General MacArthur's ;: fdpmmunique. "New#>;*Zealand, Australian, and Marine Corps planes supported ground operations and bombed bivouacs in the rear of supply installations. Adverse weather prevented air attacks on Japan. "Seventh Fleet reconnaissance bombers damaged seven freighters off the Malaya coast, destroyed shipyard facilities in the Riouw Islands, southward of Singapore, and damaged river craft near Hong Kong, and housing installations at Hainan. Ground, air, and naval forces in Borneo continued : attacks against enemy personnel and 'j supplies. . "R.A.A.F. fighters thoroughly strafed areas inland from Balik Papan. Light naval units shelled shore positions at Sandakan, completing the destruction of the remaining major installations. "Thirteenth Air Force fighters at midday attacked communications east of Java, destroying 37 locomotives in the Surabaya area. R.A.A.F. heavy unit fighters cratered Sidate and Tanamon airfields in the Celebes, bombed bridges and small craft in the Halmaheras, set on fire harbour facilities at Dilli and the Lesser Sundas. One plane was lost." The Manila correspondent of the Associated Press says that Lightnings from the Philippines made the Surabaya, attack. Major-General Wurtsmiths said this sweep would show the Japanese that they were not safe from our deadly deck-level attacks anywhere in the Indies or Asia. ,"We have developed the long-range fighter into an instrument of destruction that works as well 1000 miles ; from the base as 10 miles away," he . said. He added that last week's reconnaissance over Singapore by Lightnings was one of the longest ever ' flown by fighters.