JAPANESE MARINES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21317, 1 February 1944, Page 3

JAPANESE MARINES

NEW BRITAIN BATTLES WELL EQUIPPED & FED (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, Jan. 31. Japanese marines who almost certainly fought on Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines, have been, adversaries of the American invasion troops at Cape Gloucester in western New Britain. The enemy soldiers themselves have made this claim which has been supported by their possession of American arms and equipment, canned rations and medicines—all presumably captured in the Philippines. In contrast with their starving, illequipped compatriots who are opposing the Australians on Huon Peninsula in New Guinea, just across Vitiaz Strait from New Britain, the Japanese encountered at Cape Gloucester have been big men, well fed, well dressed, and well equipped. They had plenty of ammunition, and abundant stocks of food. Although there have been individual instances of fanatical fighting, these Japanese generally have made only a fair showing against the Americans, It is suggested that the killing of many of their officers in the early intensive Allied softening-up raids has been responsible for their lack of organisation which sometimes amounted to confusion. Much of the enemy’s equipment has been of a particularly high standard. One such item was a flame thrower with a triggered jet which is reported to be an improvement on the Allied type. A high proportion of Ihe American casualties in the area were caused by snipers who fired with deadly accuracy from long distances. The fighting which earlier had been intense in the Borgen Bay area has now died down at Cape Gloucester with the Americans consolidating their new positions. The Japanese have a series of strong-points further east along the coast. They obviously have ample food and equipment to fight long delaying actions. Nurses have been reported to be accompanying the enemy troops. Some Americans say they have; watched the nurses tending the wounded. On Huon Peninsula, in New Guinea, the Australians advancing from their new base at Sio have found the bodies of many more Japanese who .died from starvation or disease. The fleeing enemy troops are evidently In a bad condition. One captured Japanese had lived on wild berries for 16 days and for six days before being taken prisoner had nothing but water.