THE WORLD IS A SMALL PLACE

Northern Advocate, 18 December 1942, Page 3

THE WORLD IS A SMALL PLACE

LONDON, December 16

One of the war’s strangest series of reunions occurred in a New Zealand hosital in Syria. James Holt, of Sydney, who was wounded at El Alamein arrived in a ward, the orderly of which wormed in Holt’s office in Sydney. In the next bed was Holt’s cousin, a New Zealand gunner, whom he had not seen for 10 years. Before the day was over another casualty arrived from a Mediterranean naval action. It was a petty-onicer who is engaged to Holt’s sister.

into Buna village, says that the victory was "no push-over." He adds lhat: “It rained even harder than usual on the eve of the attack when the lean, tired and dirty Americans moved heavy cases of hand grenades, shells and bullets towards the front in preparation for a dawn attack. This opened with 10 minutes of mortar barrage in which 400 heavy bombs blasted the village only 100 yards ahead of the advancing infantry. The attacks were launched from two sides, the Americans storming and overwhelming pillboxes and machine-gun nests in face of direct fire.

Inferior Jap. Equipment

At nine o’clock the commander of the attacking forces emulated the earlier alliterative feat of the successful Australian commander at Gona by despatching a message "Buna Buster.” A few hours later the Americans in Buna were told to cease hunting souvenirs and start hunting Japanese stragglers. Most of the Americans secured for themselves a pair of rubber soled tabis (Japanese canvas shoes especially designed for tree climbing). The enemy equipment generally was found to be not of the best but, as at Gona. the Japanese fixed defences were excellent. Anzae Countries Safer

The capture of Buna is a significant measure of the enormous improvement in the south-west Pacific military situation since last September, says the "Christian Science Monitor’s" military writer (Joseph Harsch). "Until October, there was a very real question whether we would be able to hold Australia and New Zealand." he writes, "but now the United Nations safety margin has been widened so that the Japanese no longer threaten to overwhelm these outpost bases.

Mr. Harsch says- that the Allies are progressing towards the establishment of a secure holding front in the southwest Pacific which, however, is not yet completely secure and will not be secure until Rabaul is in Allied hands. Nevertheless, the Japanese threat to our positions is clearly dwindling.

painfully Slow Progress “But our rate of progress is painfully slow," he adds. “While the Japanese in this theatre are far from idle they have delayed us so long at Guadalcanal- that further progress from that point towards Rabaul must be at least as methodical and painstaking as last month’s progress towards Buna. It will mean going from island to island, blasting the Japanese foot by foot. "It is a long way to Rabaul and Buna, and is only one step on General MacArthur’s real road. He must force a way along the jungle-fringed coast of northern New Guinea and must capture Salamaua and Lae before the final attack against New Britain and Rabaul."