BEACH-HEAD EXTENDED

Southland Times, Issue 25358, 9 May 1944, Page 5

BEACH-HEAD EXTENDED

AMERICAN HOLD ON HOLLANDIA

ANOTHER LANDING IN NEW GUINEA

(Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.)

(Rec. 11.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 8. With the new landing at Bougainville Bay, 20 miles east of Hollandia, American forces now hold about 50 miles of coastline in Dutch New Guinea. Their expanding Hollandia beach-head extends from Demta in the west to Bougainville Bay in the east. Bougainville Bay lies just inside the border of British New Guinea. A small Japanese detachment opposed the American force which landed at Bougainville Bay on Friday, five of the enemy being killed. Japanese dead in operations around Hollandia now total 732. Additional prisoners have been taken. Prisoners were last reported to number more than 150—a record number in the south-west Pacific theatre of war.

Although the Hollandia land campaign is complete for all military purposes, mopping up continues. The campaign began with the landing of American invasion forces on April 22. In British New Guinea Australian troops, pushing north from Alexishafen, have advanced 10 miles from their base without encountering opposition. Between Alexishafen and Hollandia the Americans are clearing out Japanese stragglers at Aitape. They report that while some of the enemy troops are well armed and well fed, others have been found in the last stages of exhaustion and starvation. CONVOY ATTACKED

While the new Allied beach-heads are being consolidated, General MacArthur’s air offensive, west of New Guinea, is being intensified. Japanese bases in the Banda Sea, between Timor and' Dutch New Guinea, were heavily hit on Friday and Saturday, the strikes including an attack on an eight-ship enemy convoy. Catalinas scored damaging near misses on a 5000-ton merchantman on Friday night. She was in the convoy with six other merchantmen and a destroyer neai - Mangale Island, 125 miles north-west of Baru Island. Mangale lies at the southern end of the Malacca passage, about 500 miles south of the Philippines. Catalinas also bombed Hawlea township on Baru Island. Hawlea was formerly the most advanced R.A.A.F. base for attacking Japanese shipping in the Celebes. It was abandoned by the R.A.A.F. in January, 1942. Koepang and adjacent Penfoei in Timor were targets for American Liberators and Royal Australian Air Force Beauforts on Saturday morning. They blew up two parked planes and started large fires. Dutch-manned Mitchell bombers punished Japanese airfields in the Kai islands on the same day. To none of these strikes did the Japanese offer fighter opposition. Liberators were over Baik Island, Geelvink Bay in Dutch New Guinea for the third successive day on Saturday. They blasted enemy installations without interference. Friday’s raid had been opposed by 15 fighters, one Liberator being lost. Over British New Guinea Bostons and Mitchells maintained their daily attacks on the Wewak-Hansa Bay coast, where the remnants of the Japanese 18th Army are believed to be concentrating. Heavy destruction to supplies, buildings and other installations is reported. A co-operative strike by night fighters and light naval units damaged enemy shore batteries at

Hansa Bay. Solomons-based bombers made four separate raids on airfields at Rabaul on Friday, losing one plane, shot down by anti-aii-craft fire. PONAPE BOMBED Venturas bombed Paramushiro and Shimushu on Friday night. Large fires were started. The planes encountered intense, heavy calibre flak. All our planes returned, says a Pacific Fleet communique. Mitchells bombed Ponape on Friday, concentrating on the seaplane base and airfield. They encountered light flak. Other aircraft dropped 62 tons of bombs on the remaining positions on the Marshalls, hitting coastal guns, magazine and storage areas.