BITTER FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 May 1944, Page 8

BITTER FIGHTING

ON MAINLAND OPPOSITE WAKDE ISLAND AMERICANS EXTENDING INVASION. SUCCESSFUL AIR ATTACKS ON MANY TARGETS. (Special Australian Correspondent.' SYDNEY. May' 22. Fierce Japanese counter-attacks on the western perimeter of the Ameiican beach-head on Ihe Sanni coast ol Dutch New Guinea have been smashed after two days of bitter fighting. Enemy forces tried to destroy the Ameiicans’ bridge-head across the Toi Rivet. So far. 11l o! their dead have been counted. This action, which was fought on Friday’ and Saturday, was the Americans' first major clash on the mainland with the Japanese since their landings in tire Sarmi-WCikde Island area on Wednesday. The invasion troops speedily advanced five miles west from their landing point at Arara to Tor River and established a bridge-head across the river against only slight opposition. But the Japanese then opposed the Americans in strength. They made a particularly strong counter-attack before dawn on Saturday, employing mortars, machineguns, and grenades. Kittyhawk fighterbombers which are giving close support to the American ground forces, assisted to smash the attack. Later reports said that on Saturday afternoon the bridge-head was still under enemy machine-gun and sniper fire. General MacArthur.’s communique reporting this action says that the tally of Japanese dead on nearby Wakde Island has now risen to 676. To wipe out an enemy garrison which refuse to surrender, the Americans had to storm an intricate network of concrete and coconut log bunkers. At the Hollandia and Aitape beach-heads, which were established on April 22, enemy casualties now total 3042. In scattered patrol actions not previously reported 436 Japanese were killed and 45 taken prisoner. In spite of the unusually high number of prisoners taken in these areas. New Guinea war correspondents report that only about one m 10 of Hie Japanese remnants fails to fight to the death. American patrols from Aitape now control about 80 miles of coastline, having penetrated 30 miles to the west toward Hollandia, and 50 miles to the east toward Wewak. The latter area, where many thousands of Japanese troops are believed to be concentrated, is under incessant air attack. General MacArthur’s bombers, with fighter escorts, have also maintained their strikes against Japanese bases in western Dutch New Guinea. At Manokwari on Friday, five coastal vessels averaging about 1000 tons, were destroyed. A Solomons-based Liberator patrolling over the western Carolines on Thursday destroyed nine float-planes at Lamotrek, where a fuel dump was also set on fire. At Nomoi, 540 miles to the east, an enemy freighter and an escort vessel were damaged by an air patrol which shot down one of four intercepting fighters. DELAYED ACTION BOMBS SOME CASUALTIES CAUSED AT HOLLANDIA. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, May 22. Japanese bombs caused casualties as well as losses of stores at Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, where American invasion troops landed on April 22. The Australians advancing up the New Guinea coast from Alexishafen have also had to conduct careful “delousing” operations as they went forward. The ticking of a time mechanism enabled Australians at the Alexishafen airstrip to discover an explosive charge placed in a dump of 30 2001 b. bombs. More than 160 mines and bombs were found round Alexishafen’s two airstrips. For their traps, the Japanese used 3in. mortar bombs, 1001 b. antipersonnel bombs, and 2001 b. aerial bombs. At Hollandia, bomb explosions during cleaning-up operations have done more to impede the Americans’ progress than any direct Japanese opposition. On Friday a bomb burst after it had been struck by a bulldozer working on the beach. The bulldozer was hurled into the air, the driver being killed and several soldiers wounded by the shrapnel fragments. The explosion sot off nearby ammunition dumps, causing heavy damage among supplies. Two 5001 b. bombs which exploded in a fire caused casualties among soldiers and natives. However, (he total of American casualties at Hollandia is negligible. About 1500 Japanese have been killed and more than 400 taken prisoner.

A book found at Hollandia throws an interesting light on the abortive Japanese plans for the invasion of Australia. It is a manual of several hundred pages printed in Japanese and giving detailed information about harbours and ports on Australia's east coast. Obviously, the book was intended to be a guide to the invading forces. It contained a wealth of information, even about the smallest coastal centres. together with illustrations evidently intended to assist in the identification of landmarks. MARCUS ISLAND BOMBED ACCORDING TO JAPANESE REPORT. LONDON. May 22. The Japanese report Allied air attacks against Marcus Island, midway between the Marshalls and Tokio. After an Allied task force had been sighted near the island, over 100 carrierborne aircraft launched several attacks during the weekend.