ANOTHER LANDING

Evening Star, Issue 25170, 9 May 1944, Page 5

ANOTHER LANDING

DUTCH NEW GUINEA COAST HOLLANDIA BEACHHEAD EXTENDED IN.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) SYDNEY,. May 8. With a new landing at Bougainville Bay, 20 miles east of Hollaiidia, American forces now hold about 50 miles of the coastline in Dutch New Guinea. Their expanding Hollandia beachhead extends from Demta, in the west, to Bougainville Bay, in the east. Bougainville Bay lies just inside the border of British New Guinea. A small Japanese detachment opposed the American force -which landed at Bougainville Bay on Friday, five of the enemy being killed. The Japanese dead in the operations around Hollandia now total 732, and additional prisoners have been taken. The prisoners were last reported to numibor more than 150—a record number in the South-west Pacific theatre. _ Although the Hollandia land campaign is complete for all military purposes, the mopping-up continues. The campaign began with the landing of the American invasion forces on April 22. ADVANCE FROM ALEXISHAFEN. In British New Guinea the Australian troops pushing north from Alexishafen have" advanced 10 miles from their base without encountering opposition. Between Alexishafen and Hollandia the Americans, who are clearing out Japanese stragglers at Aitape, report that while some-enemy troops are well armed and well fed, others have been found in, the last stages of exhaustion and starvation., AIR OFFENSIVE. While the new Allied beachheads are being consolidated General Mac-Ar-thur's air offensive west of New Guinea is being intensified. The Japanese bases in the Banda Sea, between Timor and Dutch New Guinea, -were heavily hit on Friday and Saturday, the raids including an attack on an eight-ship enemy convoy. Catalinas scored damaging near-misses on a 5,000-ton merchantman on Friday night. The 6hip was in a convoy with six other merchantmen and a destroyer near Mangale Island, 125 miles north-west of Baru Island., Mangale lies at the southern end of the Molucca passage, about 500 miles south of the Philippines. Catalinas also bombed Namlea, a township on Baru Island. Namlea was formerly the most i advanced R.A.A.F. base for attacking. Japanese shipping in the Celebes... It ivas abandoned by the R.A.A.F. in January, 1942.