ON WAKDE ISLAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 May 1944, Page 3

ON WAKDE ISLAND

LAST ENEMY RESISTANCE 1 OYERCOME IMPORTANT BASE GAINED BY ALLIES. FOR EXTENSION OF AIR ATTACKS (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, May 21. All Japanese resistance on Wakde Island, Dutch New Guinea, has been overcome. Enemy troops trapped on the north-east corner of the island, fought back desperately with mortars, machine guns and rilles, but were finally overcome after being hammered mercilessly by Allied land, sea and air forces. The complete American occupation of Wakde is reported by General MacArthur’s latest communique. Wakde airfield fell to the United , States invasion troops early on Thursday afternoon, and engineers are already reconditioning it for use by Allied planes. With the Wakde air base, nine strategic airfields have been captured from the Japanese since the Americans landed in the Hollandia-Aitape area (125 miles east of Wakde Island) on May 22. The airfields, in addition to Wakde, are Madang, Alcxishafen (two), Tadje (Aitape) and Hollandia Sentani Cuclops and Tami (all in the Hollandia area). The occupation of Wakde brings the Japanese naval and air base of Palau, 700 miles to the north-west, within effective striking range of Allied bombers. The important Japanese Dutch New Guinea base of Manokwari is 350 miles away, and the Schouten Islands in Geelvink Bay only 250 miles away. On the Dutch New Guinea mainland where American troops made now landings on Wednesday and Thursday in conjunction with the Wakde invasion, activity is confined to light skirmishing. Patrol clasnes have been reported on the eastern flank of the beach-head in the Tor River area.