“ Position in Southwest Pacific Very Serious ”

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 6, 8 January 1944, Page 5

“ Position in Southwest Pacific Very Serious ”

(By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.)

(Special Australian Correspondent.)

Received Friday, 9.5 p.m.

SYDNEY, Jan. 7,

“The great Japanese supply base of Rabaul (New Britain) is in grave danger,” says an admission by the Tokio radio. “Our position in the Southwest Pacific has become very serious in the past few days and the menace to Rabaul has become acute.”

The radio declared: ‘ ‘ Our forces have been placed at a disadvantage since the enemy has now mastery of the air and dominates our supply lines. The enemy also has at his disposal numerous aerodromes.”

A further sweep over Rabaul by Allied Solomons-based fighters is reported in General MacArthur’s communique to-day. Of 30 intercepting Zeros 10 were shot down and five others probably destroyed. We lost one Corsair. These persistent Allied fighter sweeps based on the Empress Augusta Bay airstrip in Bougainville Island are forcing Japanese fighters to engage in combat. Such tactics prevent the Japanese building up reserves of air power at Rabaul. The enemy no sooner brings in fresh air strength to Rabaul than it is forced to fight by our challenging sweeps.

Kavieng (New Ireland) is also feeling the effects of the increased Allied air pressure promised by General MacArthur recently. In the latest strike against this enemy base made on Tuesday morning American carrierbased aircraft badly damaged two Japanese destroyers and shot down nine enemy planes. The destroyers were caught in the harbour and were hit by both torpedoes and 1000-lb bombs. One Allied plane was lost and others damaged. Other Japanese shipping has been attacked by Beaufighters at Koepang (Timor) where a schooner loaded with troops was left burning on Tuesday. In the land fighting of mounting fury the American marines on Cape Gloucester have slaughtered a further 600 Japanese in an all-day battle in the Borgen Bay area. The total of enemy killed counted at Cape Gloucester since the marines landed on December 26 is now nearly 2000 but the actual number of Japanese casualties may have been four times that figure. In their present push to drive the enemy troops hack from their Borgen Bay strongholds the marines have strong artillery and tank as well as direct air support. The Japanese, whose strength is believed to have come from the interior where the country is rugged and heavily timbered, are also making increased use of artillery. No reports have been received of land operations at Arawe (Southern New Britain), where the Americans who landed on December 15 are consolidating their hold of the Cape Merkus Peninsula area.

At the Saidor (Northern New Guinea) beachhead established by the Americans last Sunday our patrols have made their first contact with the enemy at Cape Iris. The Australians driving up the Huon Peninsula to make contact with the Americans at Saidor, about 70 miles distant, are now 12 air miles from Sio, an important enemy barge base. The fleeing Japanese troops are believed to be trying to reach Sio in an effort to evacuate the peninsula. All their land avenues of escape have been closed by the Allied forces on Huon Peninsula, at Saidor and in the Ramu Valley. Madang, the Japanese supply base just 55 miles northwest of Saidor, and the nearby Alexishafen have been hit with 243 tons of bombs. During the past fortnight the area has been the target for almost daily aerial attacks. Allied patrol boats have taken an additional toll of enemy barge traffic along this coast.