Fighting Very Tough on Bougainville

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 58, 9 March 1945, Page 5

Fighting Very Tough on Bougainville

Received Tuesday, 9.25 p.m. BRISBANE, Mar. 8. A recent public statement that Australian military operations were confined to mopping up were ridiculed by walking wounded who returned from the battle areas to-day. The men said the Australians faced strong forces of Japanese who were well organised, well fed and well equipped. “Nothing made us madder than to receive reports from home saying we have been relegated to mopping up operations,” said one soldier. The men said many fieldgwis and machineguns, many of which had been unußed, had been captured from the Japanese on Bougainville and at Aitapo. Another soldier said the fighting was very tough and raged under the worst conditions. The landing of Australian forces on Saposi Island, one of a group of islands off the northeast coast of Bougainville, on Tuesday, was announced by the Army Department to-day. Light Japanese opposition was immemdiately quelled and a quantity of equipment captured. Further Australian progress is reported in Northern New Guinea, New Britain and Bougainville. Australian operations in both north and south sectors of Bougainville are proceeding according to plan. The Australians have smashed through strong Japanese defences 1000 yards south of Makapeka in the Puriata River Valley. The assault on Makapeka on Monday was preceded by an air attack on the Japanese positions by New Zealand Corsairs.