DRIVING ON

Evening Star, Issue 25084, 27 January 1944, Page 5

DRIVING ON

AUSTRALIANS IN RAMU VALLEY WORST CAMPAIGNING COUNTRY IN NEW GUINEA (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) SYDNEY, January 26. After capturing Shaggy Ridge, the Australian infantry, in Rahiu Valley (New Guinea) have now driven the Japanese from strong defensive positions on the Rankiryo saddle, in the Finisterre Range. The Australians are firmly established in their newly-won positions, and are driving on. They captured a saddle on Sunday afternoon after heavy fighting, the Japanese leaving behind 130 killed. Earlier in the day the Australians had reduced the enemy-held section of Shaggy Ridge to 200yds, and subsequently they eliminated this pocket of resistance. Our infantry forces occupying : the northern and southern extremities' of the ridge joined up early on Sunday afternoon, wiping out enemy troops caught in the pincers. Scores of Japanese apparently jumped over sheer ridges'. Few may have been able to clamber down the 2,000 ft escarpment and escape to their own lines under cover of darkness.

This campaign in the Finisterres is being fought in country worse than that so far encountered elsewhere in New Guinea. One-ma/ii tracks which wind along steep precipices present enormous difficulties to an attacking force. Australian senior officers say the hardships of the Owen Stanley, Buna,

Sanananda, and Milne Bay campaigns are far surpassed by those, of the present battle for the Findsterre Ranges. Infantrymen tell vivid stories of close-quarter actions which were fought before the final objectives were taken. The Japanese adopted their time-worn trick of calling out to the Australians in English in an effort to lead them into enemy fire. Japanese booby traps were plentiful, and the " bait " was usually a pair of binoculars, a steel helmet, or a rifle. Land mines were also* used, while heavily-logged Japanese defences were stoutly oarricaded with barbed wire..

The Australian victory of the Kankiryo Saddle threatens the enemy's Bog_adiim-Madan.g motor road, which begins only 10 miles away. Further to the west, on the New Guinea coast, other Australians near Sio have killed 23 more Japanese stragglers fleeing northwards on the Huon Peninsula.

Across the Vitiaz Strait, at Cape Gloucester -v(Western New Britain), strong patrols of American marines attacking Borgen Bay killed 40 Japanese and destroyed 20 m'achine-gun_ nests, as well as quantities of ammunition and supplies. • '