JAPS IN NEW GUINEA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 61, 13 March 1942, Page 5

JAPS IN NEW GUINEA

RAIDED BY AUSTRALIAN PLANES FIERCE AND CONTINUOUS ONSLAUGHT (Ey Telegraph—Pres« Association—Copyright.) Caberra, March 12. The Royal Australian Air Force is making a fierce and continuous onslaught on the enemy invasion fleet oft the coast of New Guinea, where the Japanese are trying to consolidate the three landings made on the island. Further details are awaited of another Australian bombing attack on Japanese transports made soon after enemy troops had landed at Finschhaven, not far from the previous landing bases. All the bombs fell m the target area. A Japanese air raid is also said to have been made on Dutch New Guinea, but it is reported that no landings have been made there.

GRAVE SITUATION

JAPANESE POSSESSION OF MANY EASES (Recd. 5.50 p.m.) Rugby. March 11. While the loss of Java, with the important naval base of Sourabaya. completes the capture by the Japan-', ese of an offensive barrier stretching from Malaya to New Guinea, there I can be no advantage in minimising the grave situation in the Pacific.; Naval observers here point out that I the very gallant resistance of General j MacArthur in the Philippines is o 1 great assistance as a delaying action. ] At the same time the denial of bases ; in the area from Singapore to New i Guinea makes the development of j counter-offensive measures by tht Allies much more difficult. The value of Rangoon has lain prin- i cipa’ly in its position as a port for seaborne supplies and reinforcements | to Burma itself and along the Burma Road for the operations of the I Chinese Army. Exports through th- j port have also been considerable and very useful for war effort. The fact that the port was immobilised before the British withdrawal will make it o. ' lesser use to the Japanese, especially ; bearing in mind that its as a ; naval base is not great as it is ap.- t proached by a very tortuous channel, i extending 20 miles, with exceptional strong tides. It could also be mined. By these losses the Indian Ocean has now become uncovered and Japanese forces may be likely to attack trade and transport routes as far as Ceylon. Alternative Japanese moves! are an offensive against Darwin or a ■ campaign further eastwards towards I Fiji. Although the Japanese main | fleet has suffered losses its strength i I not greatly impaired and, despite ex- i panding supply lines, the present' Japanese air and sea supremacy will I permit them to extend activities in any direction they may choose.— 8.0.W.

SERIOUS DAMAGE DONE

SEVEN VESSELS HIT Canberra. March 11. ' A supplementary communique tonight declared that the Royal Australian Air Force had inflicted serious damage on seven enemy ships at Salamaua. Four were left burning, two sink- ' ing, and one was beached with its stern awash. One of the burning vessels was described as a very large transport and i another received six direct hits from large bombs. In addition, several near-misses ! were recorded. Owing to the nature of the explosions under water nearmisses frequently cause damaged below the waterline. Port M ■ ' aid- d for the third-da \ Japanese machines dropped bombs • aimed at military targets, causing only ! negligible damage and no casualties. ■ LONG WAR EXPECTED 1 JAPAN PREPARED FOR RUSSIA New York. March 11. I Tokio official radio said that the Wai Ministrx spokesman General Sato, declan i that Japan must beat Anglo-An ■ uction in order 1o achieve final victory. The Japanese people, he added, could expert the Allies to carry on’ i rs and concentrate on th** production of more warships and planes to wage a decisive war agains’ Japan. Japan had anticipated Allied efforts to obi Siberia to launch an off nsive. ai I therefore was fully prepared for any development m the north. COURAGEOUS R.A.A.F. PILOTS JAPANESE TRANSPORT AT SALAMAUA BOMBED Canberra. March 11. ' Australian bombers dealt a crushing blow against Japanese shipping j concentrating at Salamaua yesterday, states an oili- : •■•:p.:r.:iniqu*r. “Towards noon the first of our air- : craft were over Salamaua and attacked : an enemy cruiser in the fa e of light j and heavy anti-aircraft fire of considerable volume. A few minutes later another attack was made on Japanese transports and warships. One large ship was left burning. Several direct hits were made on a warship. either a cruiser or a large destroyer, and two other ships were set i on fire Later attacks recorded fur- 1 ther hits anti near misses, and when I our aircraft left one vessel was burnt out. Three others were on fire, two • were sinking and one was being beached. During the afternoon a stick of eight bombs was dropped on the centre of the runway at Salamaua aerodrome. Considerable damage was observed. Shipping was again attacked. Our airmen saw one ship listing heavily and on fire. It eventually sank.” The communique adds: “Enemy machines over Darwin shortly aftei mid-day yesterday were driven off b\ anti-aircraft lire." It was later revealed that one Salamaua transport sunk was of at least 8000 tons. The raid occupied from dawn to dusk. Pilots dived to i 400 feet, bombed and machine-gunned j their targets, and showed amazing tenacity and courage. One dived from 1000 feet to pour bullets into a ' Japanese naval pinnace after his' bombs were exhausted. All the Aus- • tralian planes returned to the base and there was not one casualty.

ATTACK INVADERS

CALL TO AUSTRALIANS “GANGSTER” METHODS (By Tetegraph—Press Association—Copyright ) Canberra. March 12. The need for the development of an intense offensive spirit in Australia and for the country’s defenders to fit themselves physically and mentally to attack the invaders wherever they are encountered Ls emphasised in instructions recently issued by th? Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General Sturdee, a summary of which has been re ■ leased by the Minister of the Army, Mr. Forde. The instructions insist on the root ing out of defeatist tendencies and talk of withdrawals, and call or, Australia's fighting forces to train in such a way that when the time for combat comes they will be more than a match for their enemies in physical stamina, determination and ruthlessness. Lieut.-General Sturdee states that Australia’s enemies are not bound by sporting methods or the spirit of fair play. They adopt the gangster code, and Australians must do the tame if they are to succeed. “Up to date in this war,” he said, “the opportunities of the Allies to seize the initiative and take the offensive have been very few. To a large extent we have been forced on the defensive, and all too often, through lack of forces or equipment or the defeat of an ally, we have been forced to withdraw and finally evacu ate or to surrender one territory after another. “All this has tended to produce a defensive attitude of mind. If we are to reap the full benefit of our training methods and secure decisive results, there must be a return to the doctrine of the offensive. “This is not to be construed as meaning a blind adherence to an offensive in all circumstances. “We are now in the position "h re, if attacked, we cannot withdraw. The continued security of Australia rests with us, and the price we are prepared to pay for that security cannot be too high.” The Minister of the Army announced that, picked members of the Volunteer Detente Corps are being given special training in guerrilla v arfare by Major Ermine Andrews, a British officer who won the Victoria Cross at Dunkirk. JAPANESE THREAT WARNING TO AUSTRALIA (Rec. 8.40 p.m.) Tokio. March 11. Tokio radio announced that the spokesman of the Japanese Information Board, according to the Dome! agency, issued a warning: “Australia will suffer the same fate as Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies if she continues her present attitude toward Japan. Continued resistance . I sast r and suffering The best and only policy for Australia was shown on January 21 by Premier Tojo when he declared to the Diet: “If the Australian people pursue their present attitude of resistance we will show no mercy in crushing them, but if they come to understand Japan’s real intentions and express willingness to co-oerpate we will not hesitate to extend our help with real understanding for their welfare and progress.’ DR. VAN MOOK’S PLANS London, March 11. Dr. Van Mook, Lieut.-Governor ol the Netherlands East Indies, will leave Australia shortly to visit Wasnington and London. With him win go other Dutch officials who escaped from Java. Most of them will eventually join the Netherlands Government. Dr. Van Mook said that the Dutch commanders in Java had been told tu continue lighting, and he thought they were .-till doing so. Bandoeng had been surrendered only to save further loss of civilian life. In Sumatra, the Dutch were still lighting and they held the northern an : c< nt ial pat ts. It would take the Japanese six months to get the oil fields going again. Many of the Dutch naval forces had escaped from Java and so had a large number of airmen. The Japanese had suffered large naval losses. CHRISTMAS ISLAND SHELLED (Reed. 11.5.) London, March 12. Ihe Vichy radio reported that Japanese naval ships shelled (hristnias Island, southward of Java. Military installations, it is claimed, were damaged. ESCAPE FROM BANDOENG SIX R.A.A.F. MEMBERS Canberra, March 12. Six members ot the R.A.A.F. have arrived in South Australia after living a bullet-riddled Huclscji bomber from Bandoeng. The bomber was condemned as unserviceable, but was patched up, and the airmen made their escape, arriving with petrol for half an hour’s further flying. DUTCH FORCES IN JAVA ONLY FOUR DIVISIONS (Reed. 10.5 p.m.) New York. March 11 All Americans in Java left the island safely before the Japanese occupation. says the International News correspondent in a message from Australia. The Dutch had only four divisions in Java, totalling 48,000 troops, 75 per cent, of which were natives. The Dutch air force consisted of only 70 fighters and 40 bombers- •