DEFENCES SPLIT

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22469, 2 January 1943, Page 5

DEFENCES SPLIT

Buna Mission Area (9.25 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 1. American forces have split the Japanese defences in the Buna Mission area and have driven a wedge right to the sea. Each part of the divided enemy force is now squeezed between Allied troops. The Americans hold several hundred yards of beach in the area. Mopping up is proceeding in the new corridor. , This latest hard’won success gives point to a brief New Year statement by General MacArthur, who said: “I have every hope that in the near future we shall close the Papuan campaign with a decisive victory.” Driving a wedge through the Japanese-held coconut groves proved a difficult operation, and was carried out only by what General MacArthur's communique described as “tireless local assaults.” Scores of enemy snipers were posted in palms, and the area was studded with machine-gun emplacements. Stuart tanks assisted in further attacks which resulted in the capture of much enemy equipment, including three-inch naval guns and anti-aircraft guns. Although the Allies have marked superiority in artillery as in other arms, the Japanese artillerymen put up a formidable resistance. Several enemy gun crews were wiped out when one

Japanese gun was under fire for more than an hour. As each lot of gunners were killed they were replaced by men from nearby fpxholes.

War correspondents in the Buna area believe that the Japanese infantrymen would have given up the hopeless struggle some time ago had it not been for the fanaticism of the marine troops who reinforced them. Japanese officers are understood to have threatened to shoot any of their men who gave way in the face of Allied assaults.

The close nature of the fighting around Buna restricted direct Allied air support, but our planes have been active over the Japanese Sanananda fortress area, where fierce fighting flared up around enemy .strongpoints along the track from Soputa.