Fight Like Cornered Rats At Munda

Northern Advocate, 24 July 1943, Page 3

Fight Like Cornered Rats At Munda

(Special) SYDNEY. Tills Day. "With the end in sight, Japanese troops trapped on Munda Point, are fighting like cornered rats.” writes an Australian war correspondent in the Solomons. No details of progress ox American land operations in New Georgia are given in General MacArthur’s communique today, but it is reported that Allied aircraft, made 250 sorties “in direct support of our ground troops,” strafing the defended area and plastering it with 135 tons of high-explosives. With its coconut, palms shorn off by bombing and shelling, according to a South Pacific correspondent, Munda is taking on the appearance of a great cemetery as American troops move in to eradicate the enemy to the last man. Hemmed in on all sides, the Japanese must dig m and fight or attempt to sneak off to the hills in small groups. Buttressing Muncri’s fox-hole defences is a formidable chain of pill-boxes built of solid palm-logs and sandbags of coral, G’ur tanks have knocked out some of these pill-boxes, which are manned by suicide squads of machine-gunners. No Rest for Defenders “Of all the horrors the Japanese had to endure, none has been worse than night naval bombardments,” says the correspondent. “A typical bombardment began at 3 a.m. and lasted 45 minutes. The accuracy of fire was shown by exploding ammunition dumps which lit the sky for miles around. After a night of tins, the Japanese are wakened at dawn to divebombing and artillery bombardment. For three weeks we have been pouring in :>OO I otis cr mere of high-explosives per day into a confined area.” General Mae Arthur’s communique today reports the following operations In the Solomons: — "Rendova: Our fighters and dispersed a superior force of enemy fighters and dive-bomebrs, shooting down two. One of our planes is missing. There were few casualties and minor damage cn the ground. . , , “New Georgia: Medium and divo-bomb-ors and fighters flew 25 sorties in direct support of our ground troops, placing 130 tons of bombs on enemy positions and repeatedly strafing the area. “Bougainville: Our heavy units at dus.: bombed three enemy warships in Bougainville Straits with unobserved results.”