BOGADJIM FALLS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 17 April 1944, Page 5

BOGADJIM FALLS

OCCUPIEIT BY A.I.F. NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN END OF IMPORTANT PHASE Sydney, April 16. Bogadjim, the former key Japanese base on the north coast of New Guinea, 18 miles south of Madang, was occupied by Australian troops on Thursday. They encountered no opposition, the base having been deserted by the enemy who had abandoned much equipment. A few pockets of resistance along the inland motor road leading to Bogadjim were quickly mopped up. The Australian occupation of Bogadjim marks the completion of an important phase of the hard slogging campaign by Australian infantrymen pushing across the Finisterre ranges from the Ramu Valley and by other Australian and American forces driving along the New Guinea coast. Particularly fierce were earlier encounters with the Japanese in the Finisterres in country which was described as the “perpendicular front.” Bitter battles were waged for the possession pf Shaggy Ridge and Kankiryo Saddle, giving the Australians access to Mintjim Valley running down towards Bogadjim on the coast. AIR CO-OPERATION Allied aircraft co-operated closely with the ground forces at all stages of the operation and assisted materially to clean out some of the enemy’s final pockets of resistance. Bogadjim has been an important supply area for the Japanese. It was a coastal terminus for a barge route and motor road by which enemy troops in the Finisterres were supplied. This motor road leads 18 miles north along the coast to Madang, towards which Australian patrols are already probing. Madang. its strength greatly diminished following the Allied land threat as well as relentless aerial bombardments, was once the main Japanese base in New Guinea but it has been superseded by Hollandia and W ewak. SMASHING RAID ON WEWAK Wewak, north-east New Guinea, bore the brunt of Allied air attacks reported by General Mac Arthur’s week-end communiques. A smashing raid by 250 tons of bombs on Thursday was followed on Friday by a lighter but nonetheless damaging strike. Liberators on Thursday pattern-bombed bivouac, supply and defence areas at But and Dagua, most of the bombs being 1000-pounders. Sixty buildings were demolished, four gun positions 'silenced and two ammunition dumps blown up. Burning fuel and supply dumps were visible for 40 miles. Boston attack planes which dropped 20 tons of bombs in Friday’s midday sweep over Dagua and But aerodromes destroyed five parked aircraft. Air operations in this sector were hampered on Friday by adverse weather. Wakde, 110 miles west of Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, had another night air attack on Wednesday. Liberators dropped 24 tons of bombs over runway, supply and bivouac areas. Three Japanese coastal vessels were sunk by Allied patrol planes near Aitape where supplies on the beach were also damaged. Heavy attacks were made on Rabaul, New Britain, on Wednesday and Thursday, 180 tons of bombs being dropped. The township of Lakunai, Vunakanau aerodrome and Rataval and Talili Bay supply areas were the main targets. Many buildings were destroyed, gun positions wiped out and supply dumps blown up. Allied light naval units in a sweep along the New Britain coast destroyed six barges at Wide Bay. Heavy anti-aircraft fire was encountered by Solomons-based planes which struck at Kavieng, New Ireland, on Thursday. Two planes were lost and others damaged.— P.A. Special Australian Correspondent. FURTHER U.S. RAIDS ON KURILS Washington, April 15. FiI th S- r raids b >' American bombers on the Kuril Islands are reported in a pacific Fleet communique. Venturas bombed Shumsshu, and Paramushiro, on Thursday night. Liberators bombed Onnekotan, and Paramushiro, the same night. CANBERRA PACT RESENTMENT IN AMERICA MAY BE OBSTACLE TO CLAIMS New York. April 16. “Visits to America of the Australian Prime Minister. Mr J. Curtin, and the New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr P. Fraser, will provide an opportunity to discuss South Pacific war problems, particularly post-war Pacific problems,” says the Washington correspondent of the “Herald-Tribune.” “The visit is expected to clear the atmosphere of the tension which developed after the signing of the Australian-New Zealand accord regarding disposition of the Pacific Islands. The Canberra Pact came as a shock to officials in Washington, not only because they had no advance knowledge of it. but because it disposed of issues considered of primary impoitance to all Allied nations engaged in the Pacific war. The Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers will be accorded the welcome due to heads of friendly governments but there is no disguising the fact that their separate agreement has given rise to some suspicion and resentment, sharpened by realisation that American help was a decisive factor in saving Australia from invasion two years ago and keeping her safe. The fact that Australia and New Zealand have entered into a formal agreement for the disposition of island territories is seen as an attempt to force the eventual compliance of Britain and America to their views. It is also seen as a possible obstacle to American claims in the Pacific after the war, since the two governments have-agreed and will oppose unitedly any change of sovereignty or system of control of any Pacific islands without their consent. This means that Australia and New Zealand claim the right to be consulted about the disposition of the Marshalls. Marianas and Carolines which American forces are fighting to deliver from the Japanese and which it is learned were apportioned to the United States at the Cairo conference with the subsequent approval of Stalin at the Teheran conference. “Officials here do not. contend that the use of Australian and New Zealand bases for submarines and aeroplanes gives this country any privileged stand after the war but there is a strong disposition here not to scrap all the bases once the war is over but co keep whatever Allied footholds may be needed for the preservation of peace in a world where peace is to be maintained this time by force.”