ALLIED LOSSES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 23, 29 January 1943, Page 5

ALLIED LOSSES

PAPUAN BALANCE-SHEET “SATISFACTORY”

(Recd. 9 p.m.) Sydney, Jan. 28. Two Japanese soldiers were lost for every Allied soldier who fell in the Papuan campaign. Allied figures of losses take into account not merely the men killed or wounded but also those withdrawn from battle because of sickness. In the air our losses, compared with those of the Japanese, were even lower than those on land. At sea our casualties were negligible. This satisfactory balance-sheet of the Papuan campaign is part of today’s communique from General MauArthur’s Headquarters. No actual figures of losses are given. The official statement declares: “These figures reverse the usual results of a ground offensive campaign, especially against prepared positions defended to the last, when the losses of the attacker are usualy several times those of the defender. Two factors contribute to this result: (1) There was no necessity to hurry our attack because the time element in this case was of little importance; (2) for this reason no attempt was made to rush positions bv mass and unprepared assault. The utmost care was taken with the conservation of our forces, with the result that probably no campaign in history against such a thoroughly prepared and trained army had produced such complete and decisive results with a lower expenditure of life and resources.”