NEARLY 2000 JAPS LOST

Grey River Argus, 21 August 1943, Page 2

NEARLY 2000 JAPS LOST

Off Vella Lavella TUESDAY NIGHT’S INVASION FAILURE. SYDNEY, Aug. 20. On Tuesday night nearly 2.000 Japanese were either killed or captured when they attempted in a convoy to make a landing on Vella Lavella Island in the Central Solomons. The island previously had been occupied by Americans last Saturday in a surprise landing. War correspondents in the Solomons had prophesied earlier enemy attempts at a counter-invasion. Vella Lavella is one of the least known of the Solomons Islands. It is volcanic and contains many sulphur deposits which have never been exploited. The island lies 45 miles northwest of New Georgia and between the enemy-held bases on Kolombangara and Bougainville. Before the war there were ten whites, two Chinese, and 200 natives on Vella Lavella. Details of the destruction of the Japanese landing force are being released by Admiral Halsey's Headquarters. Not more than 300 Japanese reached the island on Tuesday night, when American naval units destroyed the greater part of the enemy’s barge convoy in Vella Gulf. 'l'hirty large barges transported the enemy troops the convoj; having an escort of four destroyers'. American warships intercepted this force. The enemy destroyers fled for home. Three of them were hit and one was probably sunk in a half an hour engagement fought in bright moonlight. After the enemy destroyers had been routed the American warships turned their attentions to the troop-laden barges, destroying most of them. The surprise United States occupation of Vella Lavella last Sunday! placed forces across the Japanese' supply line to some 8,000 troops, mainly garrisoning in Ba'irokp Harbour, New Georgia, and Vila and Kolombangara. These garrisons may now be blockaded and trapped. In less than seven weeks in the Central Solomons the Japanese have lost 17 destroyers, four cruisers about 80 barges and a 9,000 ton seaplane tender, in addition to six destroyers which have probably been sunk and eight damaged. In the same period the Allied reported naval losses have been: One cruiser, and two destroyers.

Importance of Vella Lavella

ALLIED STRATEGY EXPLAINED. NEW YORK, Aug. 19. A clear summary of Allied strategy in the Southern Pacific has been given by General Harmons, AssistantChief of Staff, and Colonel Laurence Sherman, who have just returned from the combat area. Colonel Sherman told a “New York Times” correspondent; “The American occupation of Vella Lavella by by-passing Kolombangara might be very costly for the Japanese, whose dwindling ‘air strength would be further split by the smashing air blows against Wewak. The Americans are building up a chain of air bases threatening the entire Japanese New Guinea-Rabaul defence line. After the capture of Munda it was generally; assumed that General MacArthur would strike against Vila and Kolombangara across the narrow waters of the Kula Gulf. The Japanese, there- j fore, reinforced Vila. Instead, however, of hurling the troops against Vila whose only feasible land approach is covered by Japanese guns, General MacArthur seized Vella Lavella air most without a fight, and is now in a position to choke off enemy reinforcements both to Kolombangara and New Georgia. The Japanese who customarily build inferior coral-surfaced airfields on the islands, had not constructed an airfield on Vella 1 Lavella," he said, “but the Americans, who lay steel mats, will icertainly build a lighter strip on their new acquisition. Munda airfield is already in operation for our bombers based on Guadalcanal 1 attacking in the entire Bougainville Island area, where the Japanese are constructing four or live new aerodromes. Fighters could also protect our bombers attacking Kabaul, which is the crucial anchor of the Japanese defence line.” Hinting at further Allied departures from island-hopping warfare, Colonel Sherman said: “The enemy base at Rekata Bay might be ‘another by-pass proposition.”" He added: “The air victory at Wewak, has practically knocked out the I known Japanese air strength in that I

area and henceforth the depleted enemy air force in the New Britain-New Ireland sector must divide in an effort to protect the New Guinea bases.”