RABAUL IN PERIL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 January 1944, Page 3

RABAUL IN PERIL

ADMISSION BY TOKIO RADIO ALLIED AIR MASTERY AND DOMINATION OF SUPPLY LINES. MAKING MENACE ACUTE. SYDNEY, January 7. The great Japanese supply' base of Rabaul, New Britain, is in grave danger, says an admission by the Tokio radio. “Our position in the SouthWest Pacific has become very serious in the past few days, and the menace to Rabaul has become acute,” the radio declared. “Our forces have been placed at a disadvatnage since the enemy has now mastery of the air and dominates our supply lines. The enemy also has at his disposal numerous aerodromes. A further sweep over Rabaul by Allied Solomons based fighters is reported in General MacArthur’s communique today. Of 30 intercepting Zeros, 10 were shot down and five others probably destroyed. We lost one Corsair. These persistent Allied fighter sweeps based on Empress Augusta Bay airstrip, Bougainville Island, are forcing the Japanese fighters to engage in combat. Such tactics prevented the Japanese building up reserves of air power at Rabaul. The enemy no sooner brings in fresh air strength to Rabaul than it is forced to fight by our challenging sweeps.

ENEMY DESTROYERS HIT. Kavieng, in New Ireland, is also feeling the effects of the increased Allied air pressure promised by General MacArthur recently. In the latest strike against this enemy base, made on Tuesday morning, American carrier-based aircraft badly damaged two Japanese destroyers and shot down nine enemy planes. The destroyers were caught in the harbour and hit by both torpedoes and 10001 b. bombs. One Allied plane was lost and others were damaged. Other Japanese shipping has been attacked by Beaufighters at Koepang, Timor, where a schooner loaded with troops was left burning on Tuesday. BORGEN BAY BATTLE. In land fighting of mounting fury, American, marines on Cape Gloucester have slaugthered a further 600 Japanese in a day-long battle in the Bergen Bay area. The total of enemy killed counted at Cape Gloucester since the marines landed on December 26 is now nearly 2000, but the actual number of Japanese casualties may have been four times that figure. In their present push to drive enemy troops back from their Borgen Bay strongholds, the marines have strong artillery and tank as well as direct air support. The Japanese, whose strength is believed to have come from the interior, where the country is rugged and heavily timbered, are also making increased use of artillery. No reports have been . received of land operations at Arawe, in southern New' Britain, where the Americans who landed on December 15 are consolidating their hold on the Cape Merkus Pennisula area. PROGRESS IN NEW GUINEA. At Saidor, the northern New Guinea beachhead, established by the Americans last Sunday, our patrols have made their first contact with the enemy at Cape Iris. Australians driving up Huon Peninsula to make contact with the Americans at Saidor, about 70 miles distant, are now 12 air miles from Sio, an important enemy barge base. Fleeing Japanese troops are believed to be trying to reach Sio, in an effort to evacuate the peninsula. All their land avenues of escape have been closed by the Allied forces on Huon Peninsula at Saidor and in the Ramu Valley. Madang, the Japanese supply base just 55 miles north-west of Saidor, and nearby Alexishafen, have been hit with 243 tons of bombs. During the past fortnight the area has been a target for almost daily aerial attacks. Allied patrol torpedo boats have taken additional toll of enemy barge traffic along this coast.

ON THE RUN

JAPANESE AIR FORCES IN PACIFIC. DECLARATION BY AMERICAN COMMANDER. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, January 6. The Seventh Air Force is inflicting severe punishment on the Japanese in the Marshalls and our losses have been kept well below the “no profit” level, said Brigadier-General Flood to the “New York Times” representative at a, central Pacific base. Brigadier-General Flood predicted the United States would maintain air superiority there despite the advantageous strategei position of the Japanese, who can send reinforcements almost at will by staging fighter planes to forward positions across their many island bases.

Brigadier-General Flood added: “We have the Japanese on the run here and Lieutenant-General Kenney has them on the run in the South-West Pacific.” He explained that the Seventh Air Force was using pinpoint navigation to find and raid infinitesimal islands which were no larger than some individual targets in Berlin.

MORE WARNINGS

GIVEN BY TOJO TO OFFICIALS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, January 7. A warning to high Government officials that a feeling of unhappiness and cheerlessness was rising among the people, “as living conditions become more difficult and as wartime sufferings and hardships mount,” was given by General Tojo in a speech, says the Tokio official radio. “I feel more than ever that Government officials should contact the people with a spirit of self-sacrifice and diligence in their application to administrative policies.” General Tojo cautioned officials against talking too much, specially concerning foreign countries, also for the protection of military secrets and the prevention of spreading fear among the people.