Far East Air Force Set Up In Australia

Northern Advocate, 28 June 1944, Page 2

Far East Air Force Set Up In Australia

(Special) SYDNEY, This Day. An observation by an official spokesman as South-west. Pacific Headquarters yesterday that the “Japanese have been chased out of the air in Western Dutch New Guinea,” coincides with the announcement that a new Allied air army to be known as the Far East Air Force has been established with headquarters in Australia.

The new organisation, embracing the veteran sth and 13th Air Forces, will be commanded bv Lieut.-General George Kenney, who has been Commanding the South-west Pacific Allied Air Forces since August, 1942

Major-General Ellis Whitehead will command the sth Air Force, while the commander of the 13th Air Force is Major-General St. Clair Streett, who previously commanded the 2nd Air Force in the United States. Under the new plan, the status of the Royal Australian Air Force and Netherlands Air Force based in this area will be unchanged.

Abandoned Air Defence

Aii- defence of their bases in Western Dutch New Guinea has been practically abandoned by the Japanese. The enemy have made no attempts to replace recent aircraft losses in this sector. Their major air bases of Manckwari lon the western tip of Geelvink Bay) and Babo (on McCluer Gulf), are now deserted of planes. Only a small number of aircraft remain at Sorong on the island’s western extremity. Sorong was the enemy’s third large air base in the area.

It is believed that the Japanese are conserving aircraft replacements for the defence of threatened vital bases beyond New Guinea. In earlier South-west Pacific campaigns the Japanese poured in aircraft replacements, regardless of heavy losses, until their bases became untenable even by the ground forces. For a time they looked likely to dispute Allied air supremacy over Western Dutch New Guinea, but the destruction of 50 planes at Sorong on June 16 ended their efforts. Since then, reconnaissance has shown few machines on enemy airstrips in the territory, while General MacArthur’s bombers and. fighters have been operating in increasing numbers from newly-captured fields at I-Icllandia, Wakde Island and Biak

Island. „ Rich Haul of Booty , A further 475 Japanese have been killed in the recent fighting at Muffin Bay. cn the northern coast of Dutch New Guinea, where enemy troops still cling stubbornly to two airfields. Japanese losses in .in Wakde-Sarmi area, which includes Mamn Bay, now total 2386. 11P Australian troops, wno are dr ob ; the northern New Guinea coast hav. ou tained a rich haul of stores and < qujP meat abandoned by the JaP a n -<. * tied at tens ol thousands of pounds, tno items include 200 motor trucks, four sUU car o ,;jv power-driven rolleis. 400 rnmoi tvr«"s a number of aircraft cameras, antiaircraft guns and quantities of ammunition.