AUSTRALIANS DRIVE ON IN NEW GUINEA

Southland Times, Issue 24864, 2 October 1942, Page 5

AUSTRALIANS DRIVE ON IN NEW GUINEA

JAPANESE WITHDRAWAL FROM NAORO (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 10.40 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 1. Driving further up the Owen Stanley mountain trails Australian troops have captured Naoro, 10 miles north of loribaiwa. Contact has not yet been made with the main Japanese force. The Australian attackers are led by seasoned veterans of the Libya, Syria and Crete campaigns. It was believed that the Japanese would make strong efforts to hold the Australian advance at Naoro, where there are excellent positions for defence. However, no prepared positions were found and the enemy is now retreatting towards Nemari, about six miles north of Naoro, towards the Hell’s Gap Pass through the ranges. Reporting this further success against the Japanese land forces threatening Port Moresby, the latest communique from General Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters says: “Additional supplies and equipment abandoned by the refretrfing Japanese troops have fallen into our hands.” Nemari is now being heavily strafed by British Beaufighters and American A2o’s—fast, powerfully-armed twin-engined attack bombers similar in design to the wellknown Bostons. This is the first mention of A2o’s being used in company with Beaufighters in New Guinea.

The Japanese are believed to have prepared positions in the Nemari area which have been several times attacked by our aircraft during the past two days The Australian forces have advanced about seven miles since they began their push two days ago. They have climbed ridges 4000 feet high. While these gains are decidedly encouraging, it is generally expected that stubborn Japanese resistance will soon be encountered. It appears that our sudden counter-offensive left the enemy without time to construct adequate defences at Naoro and that he has preferred to fall back to an area where his supply problems will be less difficult and where he will have the opportunity to dig in. The Australian tactics are to maintain close contact with the enemy, thus keeping him continually on the run, but the Japanese have still more than 60 miles to go before they are pushed back through Hell’s Gap Pass to the northern slopes of the mountains. The steep ridges already recaptured are known to the Australian troops as “Hells back-ache.” Our forces found the principal part of the Japanese defences at loribaiwa composed of primitive log palisades constructed across the main path and across every jungle by-path. These appear to have been designed more to give warning of the Australians’ approach than to halt any determined advance. AID .FROM ARTILLERY The early part of the drive has been made with the invaluable aid of 25pounder artillery—but it seems improbable that the army engineers will be able to keep these guns, each weighing more than a ton, in close support of the advancing infantry. Some of the ridges now being approached rise vertically more than 1000 feet. Already the engineers have had to overcome difficulties of mud, hills and heavy tropical storms to haul the guns into their positions. Meanwhile, Allied airmen are continually attacking the enemy supply line in an effort to weaken the Japanese resistance to our ground forces. On Wednesday Nemari, Kokoda and Buna were at- « tacked, as well as Buka and Buin, in the Solomon Islands. Persistent attacks on the vital Wairopi bridge are causing considerable interference with the porterage of enemy supplies to their advanced forces in the ranges. When Flying Fortresses attacked the bridge with heavy demolition bombs on Wednesday the structure was badly damaged and left sagging. Flying Fortresses also heavily attacked the installations at the Buna supply base. Kittyhawk fighters co-operated with A2O bombers in two raids on the enemy supply line near Nemari. Several fires were started in strafing sweeps. Medium bombers of General MacArthur’s command attacked Buin and Buka, in the Solomons. Many direct hits were scored on the aerodrome and dispersal areas at Buin and extensive damage was reported. At Buka the results of the attack on the aerodrome were not observed. | JAPANESE PLANES INACTIVE The Japanese air force in the Southwest Pacific remains inactive. In the past seven weeks more than 100 enemy planes have been destroyed in New Guinea, which, together with 207 shot down in the Solomons, brings the num- ; ber of enemy aircraft destroyed in the | South-west Pacific in the period to more than 300. Observers estimate that it cost the Japanese about 2000 men to gain control of the Owen Stanley Range. While the present Australian push abates the danger of a rear attack on Port Moresby, war correspondents warn that the danger of a coincidental sea-borne invasion is ever present. WOMEN”FOR WAR WORK New Scheme In Australia (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) CANBERRA, Oct. 1. An employment permit system is to be used by the Australian Government to secure young women for war industries from retail stores. Women aged between 18 and 26 years employed in metropolitan stores will be compulsorily diverted to munitions production in all States as the necessity arises. Women in this age group may retain their present jobs under a permit system operated by the Department for the War Organization of Industry. At present the scheme is confined to South Australia, where the first group of about 1500 women has been notified that their permits will be withdrawn shortly. Asked whether this system was a compulsory call-up of women for munitions work, the Minister for the War Organization of Industry, Mr J. J. Dedman, said he preferred to call it “economic pressure.” The Minister explained that the women affected were not dismissed from their present jobs. They remained in them by permits which would be cancelled as more women were required in the war industries.