N.Z. MEN DO WELL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21227, 16 October 1943, Page 4

N.Z. MEN DO WELL

SOLOMONS ACTION JAPANESE POCKETED EVACUATION FORCED (By Telcfti'aiih —Press Assn.—Copyright.) (10.30 a.m,) SYDNEY. Oct. 16. The announcement of the New Zealanders' participation- in the Pacific lighting lor the li: -t time comes at the close of the nicely planned and neatly executed operation on Vella Lavella .which caught the Japanese in a trap, writes Mr. Winston Turner, the Sydney Sun war • correspondent in the Solomons, in a message to the New Zealand Press Association. A pincers movement by the New Zealanders pocketed the Japanese in a live-mile strip on the northern coast of Vella Lavella. where they were brought under artillery fire and desperately began an evacuation. The enemy death-roll on Vella Lavella itself was not high, most of the 5000 Japanese troops estimated as killed dving at sea when our aircraft, destroyers and motor torpedo-boats attacked their evacuation barges. Ahe New Zealanders did well in their first jungle operation, earning the commendation of American observers. They should give an excellent account of themselves in bigger operations to come. The commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Pacific, Major-General Barraclour; ribas under his charge elements of the Third Division of tire New Zealand Army, including men who garrisoned Fiji and other islands early in the war. After months of wearisome

guard duty on island outposts, the division .is lit, highly trained and eager to get a smack at the enemy. The division is armed with British weapons which will enable it to cooperate with the Australians when General MacArthur’s and Admiral Halsey’s drives mferge in New Britain and New Ireland. Cloaked in Silence The operations on Vella Lavella have been cloaked in silence. On August 15 an American force made a surprise landing at Barakoma, on the south-east coast. The only opposition ■was an ineffective, air attack on the convoy as it was withdrawing. Amen-; can patrols immediately began moving up the east coast against slight opposition while reinforcements were pouring in through the Barakoma - -{beach-head. The enemy tried to interfere with our reinforcing by a series of air; attacks against landing craft, but, significantly, he never- made surface attacks, which indicates the extent to which Admiral Halsey now controls the Solomons waters. The Japanese continued to retreat up the east coast, offering only sporadic resistance.- The enemy landed reinforcements in the first week in August, but by the third week ihe was evacuating from northern Vella Lavella while lighting a delaying action. The Japanese troops were evacuated from Kolombangara to Vella Lavella and our airmen could see * heavy foot traffic up the east coast - road Enemy barge traffic was heavily hit by our aircraft and motor torpedo boats.

In the first week in September operations in the north-cast sector of the island reached a climax when the Americans introduced artillery. This broke the back of enemy resistance on the east, coast and the Japanese dropped back eight miles to Kokolope Bay. Early on the morning of September 9 the enemy apparently tried to lonri fresh troons to cover the evacuation. Allied heavy bombers hit a troopship. On Seotember 10 the Americans captured Japanese artillery and by the middle of September had brought up their own artillery on to the riclges dominating the north and north-east coasts. Heavy Toll of Evacuating troops It was at this stage that the New Zealanders entered the scene and completed the operation. On September 18 a substantial New Zealand force landed on the south-east of Vella Lav el la and. under MajorGeneral Barrowclough, began moving up the. west coast. Another force landed at Paraso Bay, on the northeast coast, and the two. forces began a pincers movement against the enemy who, by this time, had retreated up the coast away from the American artillery positions. The enemy continued to flee-as the New Zealanders advanced from two sides to make a last stand on a five-mile strip of coast 'between Wararnbari Bay and Timbala Bay. The New Zealanders fanned through the jungle skirting the coast and, like eager terriers, began routing out the Japanese- wherever they found ’them. By late September the New Zealanders closed the WarambariTimbala trap. The enemy made strenuous efforts to break out and suffered comparatively heavy losses. The New Zealanders then brought artillerv up the west coast and began shelling the pocket. The climax came on the night of October G, when the Japanese attempted their major evacuation, and Captain Frank Walker, with a handful of American destroyers, tackled a light cruisei, eight destroyers and a fleet of gunboats and barges, and sank the cruiser, two destroyers and prooably a third destroyer, and damaged others by gunfire. Though no official announcement has yet been made Dy the American Command, the Tokio radio Since announced that Vella Lavella was completely evacuated.