HARDER FIGHTING ON BORNEO

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23258, 20 July 1945, Page 5

HARDER FIGHTING ON BORNEO

Advances Measured In Y ards Bombers Range Wide I Uy leleginph —N Z Press Assn.—Copj’rigli '7.30 p.m.i FEW YORK. July 18. The Australians measure their advances in yards as they continue to meet stubborn Japanese resistance in the push north-eastward from Balik Pupan. stales me Manila correspondent of the Associated Press. Stiffening resistance has also apparently stalled tile Australian column on the outskirts of the Sambodja oilfields. The Australians pul the Sappinggan airfield into use a lortnigh alter its capture. The -m2f)-foot runway is capable of expansion to 12.000 feet and it will provide a base for Dutchpiloted Mitchel”, as well as other Allied bombers i. d lighters. Australian troops pushing inland from the Seria Miri oilfields occupied Marudi more than 30 miles from the coast, states General MacArthur's communique. Patrols in the Balik Papan sector recovered quantities of abandoned supplies and equipment. A naval bombardment of enemy installations near Balik Papan destroyed lour barges, and a number of gun emplaceti -mts. Heavy bombers harassing coastal areas of the Celebes, cratered the Sid:; run ay and burned several warehouses on the Gulf of Boni. Other air and light surface units destroyed numerous enemy watercraft in the western Halmaheras. Fighters and bombers attacked airfields, shipping and industrial targets from the north con. t to the southern tip of Kyushu and set fire to and destroyed two coastal freighters and several barges. Fighters attacked U.S.A, and Miyazaki aerodromes. He ivy bombers continued the destruction of enemy industries on Formosa and hit ammunition storage facilities in Ma.ko and in the Pescadores and bombed factory buildings at Tanan and railways and ii it a nations on the west coast. Night patrols over the China Ccast wrecked five cargo vessels and caused explosions in the Canton industrial area and damaged railways in Indo-China. The Domei News Agency declared that the Japanese wiped out the Allied forces which it claimed landed a fortnight ago on Ternate Island, west of Halmahera. The Agency added that 18 Allied ships were sunk or damaged in the operation.