PACIFIC CAMPAIGN

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 November 1943, Page 5

PACIFIC CAMPAIGN

STRATEGY AND GAINS “HANDSOME DIVIDENDS” (N.Z.P.A. Special Australian Correspondent) SYDNEY, November 1. The strategical importance of the continued Allied successes in New Guinea dwarfs the insignificance oi the actual territory regained, says an Australian war correspondent, summing up the campaign. “We may seem to have paid a bxttei' price for an area about two-thirds the size of Tasmania,” he writes. “It has taken the skill of our first-line divisions, bitten deeply into our slender ah' fleets, and absorbed a large proportion of the output from our wax- factories, but no Pacific commander, recognising the indirect benefits of the New Guinea advances, and theix- war-winning value in the Pacific, will quibble at the cost. The immense tactical advantages gained are sure to pay handsome dividends. The swift development of advanced airfields is now well beyond the needs of defence.”

The existence of inland fightex - airstrips enable Allied bombers to be escorted in daylight attacks on Wewak. He says: “The destruction oxdamage of more than 500 aircraft at Wewak irx the last two months has curbed its menace as a Japanese marshalling base. The construction of fighter strips on the Trobriand and Woodlark islands, north of the eastern tip of New Guinea, has brought Rabaul almost within shuttle range of oux* heavy bombers. Rabaul and Wewak are the sustaining props of the most, powerful sections of the enemy’s Southern Pacific defence line, and that line already is sagging under the concentrated weight of bombing. Many commanders are convinced that both bases can be knocked out by air attack alone. “In North-eastern New Guinea the Japanese ground forces now have only a tenuous grip. The main enemy strength is being centred in the Dutch part of the island. In that territory the great distances to be covered so fax- have given the enemy bases comparative immunity from heavy bombing.” IN THE SOLOMONS In the Northern Solomons area Admiral Halsey’s latest ah' attacks on Japanese aerodromes at Kara and Ballale again met with no ah' interception. It is evident that the Japanese have made no effort to replace theix' recent heavy losses of aircraft in this area, or to make good the deficiencies resulting from the probable transference of strength from the Solomons to Rabaul. Reconnaissance last Friday showed that the enemy had only three fighters on the ground at Ballale, one at Kara, five at Kahili, and fouxfloatplanes at-Falsi. Two months ago it was common to find up to 300 aircraft of all types stationed at these bases.

With the Allied landing's on the Treasury and Choiseul Islands, the Shortlands group just south of Bougainville is likely to fall to Admiral Halsey, says an. Australian war correspondent in the South Pacific. Admiral Halsey can either assault the Shortlands as he did Vella Lavella, or blockade it, as'he did Kolombangara, says the correspondent. “The Japanese garrison has the alternatives of running the gauntlet of Admiral Halsey’s surface forces by trying to evacuate to Bougainville, or of staying to starve. Allied aircraft have neutralised the Southern Bougainville airfields while Allied naval forces are completely in control of “the slot,” the stretch of water between the parallel chains of the Solomon Islands. The Allies can nowexercise a large measure of wider control ovex' the waters south of Rabaul.” LANDING ON BOUGAINVILLE RUGBY, November 1. American troops have landed on Bougainville Island, the last and largest of the Japanese-held islands in the Solomons. The landing was made this morning on a 14-mile wide bay on the west coast, 45 miles from Bum. The American amphibious force met slight opposition from Japanese'based near the coast. The Bougainville landing puts the Allies within 260 miles of Rabaul, the big Japanese base in New Britain. General MacArthur said to-day: “If the Japanese Fleet comes out I will welcome it. I will throw everything against it.” MacArthur’ s communique adds: Exploiting to the full our recent comprehensive air sweep at Rabaul and the Solomons, our right wing, under Admiral Halsey, was thrown forward approximately 200 miles into central Bougainville yesterday (Monday) morning. In combined ground, water and air movement, our forces .seized and occupied Empress Augusta Bay on the western coast. The movement was unsuspected by the enemy and there was little opposition. We are now in the rear of the enemy’s position at Buin and in the Shortlands, and are athwart his line of supply to that area. AIR CREW’S~ADVENTURES. SYDNEY, Nov. 1. Four members of the crew of a Liberator bomber lost in the raid on Pomellaa, Celebes, last Tuesday, were found on life rafts, hundreds of miles out at sea. They had survived a collision with tree-tops, an hour's running fight with a Zero pack, a, crash landing on the water, and two days’ ordeal adrift in rough seas. They are now in an Australian mainland hospital, and are expected to recover. The survivors reported that their Liberatox- h-Lt the tree tops on a small Celebes island in a low level bombing attack. One engine was put out of action, and another damaged. Then they were attacked by 12 Zeros. In a 300 mile running fight they .shot down ten. As the plane was steadily losing altitude, they threw their guns and equipment, into the sea to reduce the bombers’ load. Then they were pounced on by two Japanese twinengined fighters. All but four of the crew were killed. The pilot and copilot were seriously wounded, but managed to crash land their plane on the water. The survivors drifted two days before being found by a searching Liberator formation. JAP. DIVE-BOMBER. NEW YORK, November 1. An American Associated Press correspondent. on Guadalcanal says: The Japanese have introduced a new divebomber. Seven were shot down by Lightnings when covering the landings on Treasury Islands. Pilots said the new craft are half as large again as the Dauntless Dive-bombers.. They have a sea level speed of 270 miles an hour. They should carry about 2000 pounds of bombs, compared with 1200 pounds carried by the Aichi 99, which they apparently have replaced.