DRIVE ON BUNA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25069, 10 November 1942, Page 3

DRIVE ON BUNA

ALLIED TRAP CLOSING AMERICANS ON LEFT FLANK (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) (Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, Nov. 9. The Allied trap is swiftly closing on the Japanese in the Buna-Gona area. While the Australian forces have loosened their grip of the enemy rearguard positions near Oivi, crack American combat troops are in positions on the left flank of his base at Buna. Dense jungle on the right flank makes an attempted escape by land extremely hazardous. It is now’revealed that the islands to the north of Milne Bay. which it was announced had been occupied, are in the D’Entrecasteaux group. The major Japanese force, stated to number “ a few hundred men,” was on Goodenough Island. This island is about 40 miles north r 6f the eastern tip of New Guinea. It is of considerable strategic importance, is 20 miles long and 12 miles wide, and is dominated by an 8500 ft high mountain. The Allied forces made two landings on the night of October 22. The Japanese offered stout resistance and our casualties were comparatively high. On October 23 the Japanese were evacuated by launch to other islands close by. From these they were taken off by warships on October 27. The American troops flown to New Guinea from Australia to take part in the operations against the Japanese came from a base 1000 miles away. Additional American infantrymen were later brought to New Guinea by troopship. * .. It has been claimed that in the air transport of many hundreds of United States troops from Australia, the distance covered and the speed of manoeuvre surpassed those involved in the occupation of Crete by German airborne forces. These magnificentlyequipped and picked American troops have not been in action, but they have proved themselves thoroughly by cutting an arduous way through the jungle, opening up new trails near Buna. From time to time parties have made contact with the Australians advancing acress the Owen Stanley Ranges. The two forces will combine for a final co-ordinated thrust against Buna. ENCIRCLING MOVEMENTS PROGRESS OF ALLIES (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) (Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, Nov. 9. The Japanese Papuan rearguard is still resisting in the Oivi area, about 48 miles from Buna. Encirclement movements by Allied troops continue to make progress. Allied aircraft supporting the operations have made further bombing and strafing attacks against enemy positions. The Japanese supply line from Buna to Wairopi has been raided by attack bombers, but no contact with the enemy has yet been reported by the American force, which is now stated to have penetrated deep into the eastern flank of the Buna sector, but war correspondents appear to be unanimously of the opinion that the Japanese must eventually be forced to release their hold on this base. With Buna captured, the offensive against the enemy’s north-eastern New Guinea bases at Lae and Salamaua would follow logically. The Sydney Morning Herald, commenting in an editorial on these substantial strategic gains and further opportunities for initiative which they present, says the possession of the entire North Papuan coastline will offer “a, clear invitation to the Allies to continue their drive to Rabaui in collaboration with the operations by the forces under Admiral Halsey’s command.”

To-day’s communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters reports attacks by our medium bombers along the coast in the Salamaua area. Since the main communications between Salamaua and Buna are by sea, further Allied air attacks to hamper the passage of enemy supplies may be expected. These supplies are mainly carried by barges.

To get to their positions, now menacing Buna, the American forces had to perform many fine feats of military engineering. Swamps ' were filled in, rivers bridged, and tracks hacked through the jungle to permit the passage of four-wheel-drive* trucks. No official indication has been given of the size of the American force, . but it is evidently a powerful one. The,, careful planning and skilful execution of’ the whole campaign against the Japanese at Buna is generally praised, and the move is believed to be the first step in General MacArthur’s broader New Guinea offensive. The fate of the move must inevitably be closely linked with developments in the Solomons. 1 The Hearst press, in particular, has . been»urging vigorously that spectacular developments on other fronts must not distract America’s attention from the South Pacific. “The reckoning with Japan cannot be postponed until the European war has been won,” the American Far Eastern expert, Mr Upton Close, writes. “Japan now commands' resources greater than the United States. She has 200,000,000 compliant workers, and she can watch her production grow until she actually checkmates ours—possibly in 1945. We therefore have about two years in which we may hope to beat Japan.” Allied aircraft have been active in the New Britain area. At Gasmata the wireless station was wrecked, and bombs were dropped among Japanese grounded aircraft, Enemy installations on Arawe Maklo Island were also raided. North of Australia Japanese shipping at Koepang (Timor) was bombed, but the results have not been reported.