JUNGLE FIGHTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25015, 8 September 1942, Page 3

JUNGLE FIGHTING

JAPANESE SUPERB AN AUSTRALIAN TRIBUTE (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) SYDNEY, Sept. 7. While the Allied Air Force maintains its decisive superiority in New Guinea, and the Japanese land threat to Port Moresby is still held, Japanese soldiers in the Kokoda area are fighting entirely without air support. Wounded Australians just returned from this front say, however, that they are superb fighting men and must not be under-estimated. The wounded Australians just returned from Kokoda have been more than a week on the journey to hospital. Some had to be carried by stretcher; others were able to walk: They said that fighting the Japanese was like fighting "invisible men." Though hampered by lack of air support, the Japanese were great jungle soldier?. Japanese Ruse At night the Japanese moved food and ammunition supplies to positions from which they attacked the following day. Enemy scouts listened to the conversation of Australian patrols and learned the names of the group leaders. Later they attempted to cause confusion by shouting out orders in English, using the leaders' Christian names. The Japanese soldiers doing the fighting travelled lightly, with other troops carrying the supplies and heavy equipment for them. The enemy soldiers wore three types of uniforms —one was green and difficult to distinguish in the jungle and undergrowth, and at other times they wore khaki or fought stripped to the waist. Since the Japanese occupied Buna as a striking base against Port Moresby nearly eight weeks ago they have lost at least 38 of their planes, with many more damaged, as well as two ships sunk and three damaged. They have also suffered heavy losses an men and supplies. Enemy's Heavy Losses

The systematic destruction by Allied planes is believed to be making Buna untenable as an enemy air base. Some observers consider that the heavy destruction caused among enemy Zeros has immobilised the Japanese bomber squadrons by leaving them temporarily without fighter support. On all the fronts under General MacArthur's command since April 1, the Japanese have lost nearly 400 fighters and bombers in operations. Normal wastage is expected to have increased their losses in the period to at least 500 planes. At Milne Bay the remnants of the Japanese are still resisting bitterly, but a shortage of supplies is an important factor in dissipating their strength. It is now revealed that civil flying boats played an important part in the establishment of a secret Allied base at Milne Bay. Flying at night, often through tropical rainstorms, the flying boats transported military personnel and many tons of urgently-required supplies to a hidden base, the existence of which was evidently a complete surprise to the Japanese. The last load was rushed in only a few hours before the enemy invasion began.