JAPANESE LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 November 1942, Page 3

JAPANESE LOSSES

TWO MORE DESTROYERS SUNK THIRD PROBABLY SHARES SAME FATE. ATTEMPT TO LAND TROOPS IN NEW GUINEA. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, November 26. Two more Japanese destroyers have been sunk and a third probably sunk in further ill-starred efforts to relieve General llorii’s hardpressed force in die BunaGona defensive strip of New Guinea. Enemy troops estimated to number “several hundreds” Jost their lives when 5001 b bombs from Flying Fortresses, Beauforts and North American bombers sent the warships to the bottom of the lluon Gulf. The latest enemy relief convoy, comprising a light cruiser and four destroyers all heavily loaded with troops, attempted to reach Buna under cover of darkness. But Allied aircraft, sighting their targets by the light of flares, scored direct hits on two destroyers and several near misses against a third. Two were seen to sink after explosions and fires aboard, while the third, after being left “dead” in the water for twenty-five minutes, was last sighted headed for land at a speed of only six knots. General MacArthur’s communique claims, “It is probable that she also sank, as our rear air echelon searched her possible area of position with no sighting.” The cruiser and the remaining destroyer fled to the north.

The convoy, speeding southward toward Buna, was intercepted north of Lae and Salamaua and well out to sea. The airmen who took part in the attacks declare that they saw enemy troops struggling in the water. FORTIFIED DEFENCES. On land heavy lighting continues in low jungle, interspersed with swamps and tidal creeks. The nature of the country is now making Allied manoeuvres slow and difficult. The Japanese forces are withdrawn mainly within the confines of carefully prepared positions described as being “strongly fortified with barbed wire, dug-outs, and all the defensive attributes of a fortress.” Failing relief by sea, it appears that the beleagured Japanese garrison is prepared to fight to the last man. Encircled on three sides by Australian and American troops, they are holding; grimly to the beach —their only way of entrance or egress. Fox-hole and treetop snipers are posted along the outskirts of their heavier defences. As is usual when enemy naval movements are in progress in northern New Guinea waters, there has been a renewal of Japanese air activity on a small scale. But throughout Wednesday the Allied air forces were able to maintain undiminished bombing and strafing attacks against targets of opportunity. The Zeros over the area did not clash with our planes. Single enemy aircraft were twice over Port Moresby, but dropped their bombs harmlessly in the bush. It is evident that the Japanese suicide determination to hold out at Buna as long as possible is without apparent adequate strategic reason. Unsuccessful attempts to bring relief by sea have now cost them a light cruiser, at least four destroyers, two smaller craft, and a considerable number of troops. Lae and Salamaua are the only bases from which close air support can be given to Buna, and it is clear that the Japanese lack adequate planes to challenge seriously the Allies’ air superiority. The continued exposure to General MacArthur’s bombers of the enemy warships, without the support of which Buna must soon fall, offers the Allies a handsome onnortunity to pursue the attrition tactics which are making inroads into Japanese naval strength.

ATTACK ON DARWIN MIGHT BE UNDERTAKEN FROM TIMOR. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) NEW YORK, November 25. Citing the steady Allied air bombardment of Timor, the New York “Her-ald-Tribune’s” correspondent, Major Eliot, points out that the Japanese may be planning a diversionary attack against Darwin from Timor in the hope of easing the pressure on their positions farther eastward and thereby preventing the Allies from assembling a striking force for an attack on Rabaul and at the same time enabling the Japanese to build up a new offensive to restore the Solomons-New Guinea situation. “The Japanese cannot hope to conduct a major invasion of Australia from Darwin because of the difficulty of supplying a large invading army at any distance from the coast,” he said, “but an attack on Darwin would doubtless compel General MacArthur to take strong defensive measures, thereby hampering the Allied offensive against RabaulJ “Timor has the advantage of wellprotected lines of communication. However, the extent of the damage constant air attacks have wrought on the Japanese instllations is unknown. At any rate, Darwin and the whole of the north-west and west coasts of Australia are possible scenes for Japanese diversionary offensives in the next few weeks.”

RESOLUTE FOE THE JAPANESE SOLDIER. AMERICAN OFFICER’S OBSERVATIONS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 25. A United States Marine Corps officer who recently returned to London from the Far Eastern front, said he thought the Japanese was a good fighter so long as his plan carried through. “As a soldier the Japanese is a rugged and determined fighter,” he said. “At Bataan we wiped out a force and from the diary of the last survivor it was clear that he had tried to do what the entire force failed to do. “The Japanese will go into foxholes and you have just got to root them out. I have known tanks to nass over these foxholes and they have not surrendered. You must go in close with grenades or’dig them out with the bayonet. In the Solomons the Japanese burrowed into the ground and made dugouts two or three tiers deep. We had to dynamite one hill so that it caved in on top of them. . “On the whole they are intelligent soldiers, but make some terrible mistakes.” The officer instanced how on Guadalcanal the Japanese advanced in mass formation and left one pile of over 200 dead on the beaches. “In Bataan.” he said, “we just blew them off one particular road, trucks and all. Next day it was the same thing, and 'we blew them off again. Eventually it

sank into them that they would have l to make a detour.” Illustrating the training of the Jananese soldier, the officer said: The last sentence of his manual is ‘don’t return to Japan unless you return victorious or wounded.’ They are very poor shots and don’t like to fire a rifle at more than 100 yards. Their weapons are not kept in very good condition and artillery pieces we captured were rusty. Their marksmanship on land is not very good. On the other hand, the Jaoanese is very good at deception and can remain concealed for two or three davs without movement”