Close To Salamaua

Northern Advocate, 24 August 1943, Page 3

Close To Salamaua

( Special) SYDNEY, This Day.) American and Australian troops are! steadily closing in against Salamaua,! main Japanese forward base in Huon! Gulf area of New Guinea and gateway! to the larger enemy base at Lae. ,Aus-j. tralian forces, who continue to press') the retreating enemy, yesterday; captured a strategic hill- dominating 1 Salamaua, aerodrome. It is in this area that the Japanese are expected to. make their final stand within their cus-l tomary pillbox and foxhole defences.! Allied artillery 1 are now shelling the! airfield. Simultaneously with newest! Australian gains, American forces seiz-i ed a strategic knoll in advance of, Roosevelt Ridge and about three miles) from Salamaua. The danger of beingj squeezed between Australian and! American advances forced the Japan-; esc withdrawal. i

Shrinking of the enemy's perimeter: defences under impact of co-ordinated j Allied drives has resulted in a consid-j erable area south of Francisco River) falling into our hands. The enemy may; defend the natural line of Francisco; River and low malarial swamps surrounding the land approaches to Sala-j maua isthmus. j

Allied pilots again co-operated in) softening enemy defences by bombing) Logui village adjacent to Salamaua. 1 , Their efforts to hold this base have al-j ready cost the Japanese many thous-l ands of men. By comparison, Allied j losses have been light. Our aircraft; have made almost daily attacks on thej area since early July and our artillery! batteries established along the coast; and further inland have been used to; excellent harassing effect. Jap. Barges Attacked i That the Japanese do noi intend to) surrender Vella la Vella Island (recently; occupied by American forces) without a! struggle is indicated by General Mac-; Arthur’s latest communique. Allied air-; craft have attacked several centres where, the Japanese have concentrated barges| apparently in readiness for an effort, to, dispute control being established by the) Americans. Avengers and Mitchells, with, fighter escort, yesterday dropped 29 tons] of bombs on enemy barge bases at Oula j and Supato. Other enemy barges were; at tacked at points along the north coasi; of the island. , i North of New Ireland. Allied bombers c.n extended reconnaissance, attacked two, freighter transports near Greenwich! Island, south of the Caroline group.