NEARER SALAMAUA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25306, 17 August 1943, Page 3

NEARER SALAMAUA

AMERICANS CAPTURE KNOLL (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) SYDNEY, Aug. 16. The capture of a small but tactically important knoll on Roosevelt Ridge has brought the American troops nearer Salamaua. The American and Australian land forces advancing against this strategic Japanese basp are receiving splendid air and. artillery support. Bomb loads delivered on the area in July totalled more than 1000 tons, and during the first fortnight of August 770 tons of bombs have been dropped on the comparatively few worth-while targets remaining. Our relentless aerial attacks have disrupted supply movements between the port and Japanese inland defences, and have bitten deeply into the enemy’s reserves. An Australian war correspondent in the forward area gives three reasons for the slowness of Allied progress towards Salamaua:—First,’the difficult jungle conditions: secondly, the dominating positions occupied by the Japanese: and, thirdly, the bitterness of enemy resistance and his ability to reinforce and rest his troops better. The Japanese defensive positions had been prepared with great thoroughness. **■ . A ’ In giving direct support to the ground forces, Allied airmen must take care to avoid hitting our own men. In some parts only 100 yards separate our lines from the enemy’s. The Japanese apparently have been able to bring reinforcements into the area. Some of these are seasoned soldiers, well fed, well equipped, and full of fight. They have probably been moved down the new coast road from Madang. . . ... Front-line fighting on this sector is a battle of wits between individuals, and a series of vicious skirmishes between comparatively small groups of men. The Japanese have introduced some new tricks to this type of warfare. Often they throw mud balls and sticks into our forward gun posts at night to imitate the sound of shrapnel. The idea seems to be to draw the Allied fire and thus make a target for attack. At first our men believed that they were being attacked in on patrol one recent night saw a swarm of dancing fireflies approaching them. When the “ fireflies ” were almost on top of them the Americans opened fire. A party of Japanese broke, and fled. They had been carrying a phosphorescent jungle fungus on the tips of sticks in the hope of deluding our troops.