EASES OFF

Grey River Argus, 20 August 1942, Page 5

EASES OFF

S.W. PACIFIC FIGHTING U.S. NAVY LOOKS FOR ENEMY Early Battle Expected (Rec. 10.35.) “SYDNEY. Auyust 19(After nearly four weeks of oi«er fighting, over a three-thousand miles front, stretching from the East in dies to the Solomon Islands, a luu has again developed in the bouiiwest Pacific war theatre. The only action during the past twenty-four hours was at Kavie n , in New Ireland Island, .where Allied armed reconnaissance aircraft drop ped bombs in an airfield area. The results were not od served. There is to-day no news of land fighting in the Kokoda sector Papua. There the Japanese weie last stated to have penetrated beyond the village and the airfield.

Wide Sweeps

by allied warships.

(Rec 11.50.) WASHINGTON, Aug. 19The Allied naval forces in the mon Istands are renorted to be lootln Admiral* Gh'ormley's ships) are makinf wide sweeps in an effort to make C °F^rtheY^navai e is expected to Ame?ica^naval t men view the prospect of coming battles not only with equanimity, but with a hvelv hope that nothing will prevent'the Japan ese from ioining action soon. A lone-rim ftaht in the SouthPacific is expected as the re suit of the successful Solomons at--1 *i pic « The "New York Sun” gives a warning that the Japanese will make a major effort to reverse the tion — Japanese Air Force SHUNTED FROM SOUTH SOLOMONS. SYDNEY, AAig. 19. With the first phase of the battle fcr the Solomons concluded, consolidation of established positions by tne Allied land forces continues. This is believed here to be certain to involve difficult fighting m the mountains and jungles. . War correspondents point out that Allied forces must press attacks against the Japanese bases in Bougainville Islands and Rabaul, in order to confirm ’the initial successes. It is believed that with the loss of airfields on Tulagi and Guadalcanal the Japanese . have air-ferried their major bombing strength bac.A to New Guinea. The outcome of the second phlase will depend largely on the strength the Japanese are able to muster for a counter-offensive Sea-power will a'fain be the determining factor.

PORT MORESBY. IN GREATER DANGER. SYDNEY,’Aug. 19. The renewal of large-scale enemy air attacks on Port Moresby, coincides with the steady tightening of the Allied grip on the Solomons. It is interpreted as a reassuring sign that the enemy’s hold on the major bases in the Solomons is weakening 1 , Ine danger to Port Moresby, far from being relieved by the Solomons attack, iscons’dered to be intensified. The “Svdney Morning Herald” military corresponlent says: “Japan cannot afford to allow consolidation of Papua and Solomons to become an immediate threat to Rabaul. She must increase her activities in New Guinda as much as possible to provide a diversion to the Solomons now, so as to prevent loss of Rabaul at some later stage. Her effort cannot be limited to patrol skirmishes in ’the north ranges, and the fight for 'a small landing field at Kokoda. So much is at stake she must hit at Port Moresby by every possible means, by land, air, and maybe sea.”

Long Grim Fight AMERICAN ANTICIPATIONS. ENEMY INITIATIVE CHALLENGED NEW YORK, Aug. 18. “A long and grim fight in the South-west Pacific is expected as the result of the successful attack on the Solomons by the American marines, backed by air and sea forces.” says the “New York Sun’s” Washington! correspondent. “The challenge toj Japan is too full of unpleasant impli-i cations for the Japanese- to accept! American dominion of Tulagi and -the surrounding islands without a major! effort to reverse the situation. At the | same time this American victory is but the first step in the Allied coun-! ter drive against apan. its value lies, in the position it gives the United, Nations’ forces for further attacks.’ Behind the official phraseology of yesterday’s Navy communique lie hun-' dreds of stories of individual daring in close-range fighting, involving cruisers and destroyers in pitch darkness, and of landing operations carried through with the thoroughness, ch -.Tacteristic of marines.” I Fielding Eliot writing in the "New York Herald’-Tribune,” says that whatever the outcome of the Solomons attacks, and whatever may be the future policy adopted on the Western Front in Europe, the actual attack in one case, and the preparations for it in the other, have at least served notices on Japan and Germany. This notice is that 'the good old days in which those Powers could concentrate as they chose against a selected opponent, while enjoying security elsewhere are at an end.

CHINESE VIEW. NEW YORK, Aug. 18. The Chinese Government spokesman at Chungking declared that 'theUnited States’ action in the Solomons had greatly strengthened China’s confidence in the might and unlimited Possibilities of an American offensive The epoch-making battle which W drawn a substantial portion oi lhe Japanese naval, air and land force’ from the mid-Pacific, would inevitably force Japan to revise her continental plans.

Fighting in Timor allied guerillas keep it up SYDNEY. Aug. 19For six months. Dutch, Australian« nd Indonesian soldiers on the island or d Timor have been harassing much stronger Japanese occupying forces. St '«®irs s a story of bravery and, nn France which even breaks 'the re-1 endun.nc. $ a steernen t is cor a hv ?he Netherlands East Indies) Government Information Service. TWs fives greater significance to re-

cent announcements of Allied air raids on Timor objectives. "In the hili part of Timor, 300 miles long, ’these soldiers are opposing the Japanese,” says the statement. “In the beginning our troops had to carry on often without sufficient food supplies and without' proper shoes to wear. Little has been heard of the heroic men of Timor. For military' reasons little could be told about what was going on in the island north of Australia. That these men are holding their o\yn is of the greatest importance, as Timor is still the hone of the Dutch, and millions of Indonesians now bent under the yoke of the oppressor.”

U.S. Airman’s Survival AFTER PLANE EXPLODES. SYDNEY. Aug. 19. lAn American bomber pilot. Captain Frank Bender,, is alive because his ma’chine exploded in midair during the fighting over New Guinea. When his plane was attacked bv Zeros the controls were shot away, and he, himself. was hit in the ankle. He signalled his crew to bail out, but found the emergency hatch jambed,, and they were° trapned in a machine out of control. The enemy got in another burst, and Benders machine exnloded He was thrown into the air. He was knocked momentarily unconscious, but managed to get his parachute open. He injured his knee on landing. However he found the 'v'recka’ge of his plane and buried 1 three members of the crew. Then his position might have been hopeless ! but luck brought him to Doctor W. F. Butmead, medical officer, who had been taken' prisoner when the Japlanese landed in Burma, but later ’ escaped. Dr. Butmead organised a native carrying party and after a s’.x-!teen-dav trek, brought the injured 'airman'to an Australian camp, where he was operated on.' Dr. Butmead stuck to me, although 'the Japanese were only a few miles behind ” said Bender. “Without him I would not have this leg any more I would not be here.”

WAR INSURANCE RATE. WELLINGTON, Aug. 19. Advice has been received that the war rate, under American schedule, of voyages to or from Australia, via Panama, is 20 per cent.

JAPANESE COMMANDS. ! NEW YORK, Aup- 17. The Tokio radio quoted a Japanese War Office' announcement that Lieu-tenant-General Ushiroku, former Chief of Staff of the Japanese forces l in CJiina has been appointed C’om--1 mander-in-Chief at central defence headquarters in Japan, and promoted to full general. The newspaper “Asahi” comments that the appointment is signifidant, and shovzs the increased importance icf the defence of the mother country, especially of its east coast, since the first phase of the war operations in Asia has ended. Lieutenant-General Shozb Kawiage has succeeded General Ushiroku in China.