TOWARDS MADANG

Grey River Argus, 23 September 1943, Page 5

TOWARDS MADANG

Air-borne Troops Capture Kaiapit (Rec. 9.5) SYDNEY, Sept. 22. Australian airborne troops in New Guinea have seized Kaiapit, m tie upper Markham Valley, sixty miles from Lae, and about eighth miles from Madang, a Japanese important north-east coa'st base. A“ e . + 'tralians were flown on Monday_to a field some distance from Kaiapit ana soon after landing, they were in action against Japanese forces. ine Japanese launched several counterattacks, before being forced _to retire. The seizure of Kaiapit is reported in General MacArthur s communique to-day. It is an obvious extension of the Lae operation, following the capture of that base. Kaiapit, which has an airfield, was one or the advanced Japanese outposts, ana was headquarters for a central area between Lae and Madang. The enemy had been for many months constructing a road from Madang to tms area. . '_. At the same time Allied aircraft heavily attacked the enemy’s line of communication south of Madang, and aerodromes a't Wewak. More than fifty heavo and medium bombs were dropped, while 120,000 rounds of ma-chine-gun ammunition w’as poured out in numerous sweeps along a road which leads into the Markham Valley Direct hits destroyed four principal bridges. Three others were damaged. The road itself was heavily hit. The raiders also destroyed or damaged 20 or 30 trucks and demolished a warehouse, set huts on fire, and sank two barges. No enemy fighters attempted interception, and all the planes returned to base, although three of them were damaged bv anti-aircraft fire. Aerodromes at Wewak, and Boram nearby, took a pounding from escorted heavy bombers, which concentrated fortv-three tons of explosives in dispersal areas and revetments. At Boram one enemy aircraft wa’s destroyed by a direct hit. Numerous fires were started at both aerodromes, indicating burning aircraft, and fuel dumps. An attempt to intercept the Allied nlanes was made bv seven enemy fighters, two of which were shot down.