WHERE ARE JAPS ?

Grey River Argus, 28 April 1944, Page 5

WHERE ARE JAPS ?

HOLLANDIA INVADERS Fail to Meet Them (Special to N.Z. Press Assn) (Rec. 10.30) SYDNEY, April 27. American forces, far to the northwest of Madang, operating on 150 miles of invasion coast have had further outstanding successes. On Tuesday troops at Hollandia, 400 miles from Madang, seized the Cyclops and Sentani airfields. They are now moving against Hollandia' airfield, the third and most important aerodrome in the area. Troops who captured Sentani and Cyclops crossed Lake Sentani in amphibious armoured fighting vehicles to take the airstrips. This force is expected soon to • link with a second American column advancing from its landing point at Tanahmera Bay.

| Allied aircraft, probably operating from the captured airfield at Aitape, I are bombing and strafing Japanese escape routes leading south-west from Hollandia. This use of Aitaoe airfield, combined with capture of airfields at Madang and Hollandia, means that an Allied net is. fast closing on the imprisoned Japanese Eighteenth Army of sixty thousand men. General MacArthur is convinced this enemy force will make a final stand, but at what point remains a matter for conjecture. Although' a thousand Japanese were reported to have been killed at Hollandia, there has been an absence of expected large scale enemy resistance in the area. This continues to be puzzling.

Official estimates on Saturday indicated that there were about fifteen thousand Japanese at Hollandia and five hundred to one thousand at Aitape, but the invasion forces have contacted few enemy troops. Failing to make stands on terrain suitable for defence, enemv garrisons appear to have withdrawn into the hills.