CHEEPING NEARER

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15467, 30 September 1943, Page 3

CHEEPING NEARER

NEW GUINEA SCENE JAPS SUFFER LOSSES DEFENCES STEADILY CRUMBLING United Press Assn. —By Electric Telegraph — ( >j py right. SYDNEY, Sept. 29. The Japanese Lave suffered heavy casualties in sharp fighting in the legion of Bumi river, south of their base at Fiiisclihafeii, New Guinea. Australian losses are light. Our forwai d elements have advanced to Llebbe Creek, west of Fiiisclihafeii township. These developments are reported in today’s communique from General MacArthur. The Japanese are outnumbered and outgunned and the fall of the base is inevitable, writes our Australian correspondent. Haste is be ing subordinated to policy, tightly pegging tlie costs or the campaign. Our forces, steadily crowding oil the enemy defence line close to his dispositions, have greatly limited Allied .air support for the ground forces. It is more likely the enemy’s defences will crumble suddenly than that the campaign will develop into a. slow methodical whittling down of Japanese strength. Japanese aircraft on Monday made sporadic raids on Allied beach positions and aerodromes in the Finschhafen area, but inflicted only slight casualties and caused no material damage. The Japanese suffered shattering li sses at; Wewak on the north coast of New Guinea on Monday when 200 Allied bombers made a surprise attack on a convoy in the harbour and stiong forces of grounded aircraft. The raiders inflicted these losses or. the enemy: Three tankers left ablaze and sinking, four merchant ships sunk or destroyed, 2.9 barges and luggers sunk or severely damaged, 50 grounded aircraft destroyed, eight fighters shot down and three more probably destroyed.