NOT REVEALED

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22492, 29 January 1943, Page 5

NOT REVEALED

Total Of Allied Losses In Papua Japanese Were Two To One By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright (Rec. 9.0 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 28. Two Japanese soldiers were lost for every Allied soldier who fell in the Papuan campaign. The Allied figures of losses take into account not merely men killed and wounded but also those withdrawn from battle because of sickness. In the air our losses compared with those of the Japanese were even lower than those on land. At sea our casualties were negligible. This satisfactory balance-sheet of the Papuan campaign is part of today's communique from General MacArthur’S headquarters. No actual figures of the losses were given. The official statement declares: "These figures reverse the usual results of a ground offensive campaign, especially against prepared positions defended to the last, when the losses of the attacker are usually several times that of the defender. Two factors contribute to this result: (1) There was no necessity to hurry our attack because the time element in this case was of little importance. (2) For this reason no attempt was made to rush positions by mass and unprepared assault. Tlie utmost care was. taken with the conservation of our forces with the result that probably no campaign in history against such a thoroughly prepared and trained army produced such complete, decisive results with a lower expenditure of life and resources.”