BIG STEP FORWARD IN CENTRAL PACIFIC

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 277, 23 November 1943, Page 5

BIG STEP FORWARD IN CENTRAL PACIFIC

U.S. TROOPS ON GILBERTS LAND ON MAKIN AND TARAWA BITTER FIGHTING IN PROGRESS ♦ (By Telegraph—Pre* Association—Copyright; Reed. 8.30 p.m. - New York, Nov. 21. United States troops have landed on the Makin and Tarawa Islands, in the Gilbert group. Messages from Honolulu report that Marines and Army troops, covered by forces of all types, established beachheads against moderate resistance on Makin and strong resistance on Tarawa, while Liberator bombers made diversionary attacks on the Marshall Islands. The Associated Press correspondent at Pearl Harbour says the landings constituted the first major United States offensive blow since the war in the Central Pacific. They followed a week's aerial bombings by Liberators and carrier-based planes against Japanese strong-points in the Gilberts, the Marshes and Nauru. The correspondent adds that landings on such atolls are “win, die or retreat” operations.

The fact that the Japanese on Tarawa have been able to hold out in strength for over 24 hours indicates that the bitterest fighting is in progress, while the statement that the Americans met only moderate opposition on Makin indicates that they may soon be in complete control.

Powerful units of the Pacific Fleet covered both landings and fighting is continuing. The move is regarded as the first blow in the long-awaited Allied Central Pacific offensive, which is seen by some commentators as one arm of a three-pronged drive against the Japanese. The second prong is being thrust from General MacArthur's South-west Pacific area, while the third is anticipated from Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten s South-east Asia Command. The American Marines went ashore in landing barges at dawn on Saturday after enemy positions had been shelled by American warships and heavily bombed by land-based Liberators as well as carrier-borne aircraft. Both atolls were subjected to a terrific night-long pre-invasion hammering. Liberator bombers also carried out neutralising raids on the nearby Marshall group while the actual landings were in progress. "“he American land forces are under 1 command of Lieut.-General Rvbert Richardson, while the whole operation is under the direction of Admiral Nimitz.

Tue United Press correspondent says:—“One of the greatest American armadas ever assemoled is cruising in the Central Pacific. If the Japanese send out their fleet to resist the American move a major naval battle may develop.” The New York Times' military correspondent, Hansen Baldwin, does not think, however, that tne loss ot either the Gilberts or the Marshalls would entice the Japanese Fleet into action. He believes tne Allies will have to get much nearer the Japanese homeland before tne enemy would risk such a dangerous throw. Baldwin says: "The offensive against the Gilberts and the Marshalls has obvious advantages—the communication lines from the American west coast and Hawaii are far shorter than to the South-west Pacific. There are no malarial jungles and the islands are so small tnat they can be taken in brief time. Truk, vital Japanese base, would be endangered if the Allied drive captured the Marshalls.”

Makin Island, where enemy resistance is only moderate, is the most northerly ot the Gilberts. Both Makin and Tarawa lie north-east of the Solomons and are 1600 miles from Rabaul. Makin is the site of a seaplane base and radio station, while Tarawa, 100 miles to the south, has a large air base. The Japanese loss of Tarawa would almost inevitably lead to the loss of the whole Gilbert group, and would expose the southern flank of the Marshalls, where the enemy has an important base at Jaluit. Makin was the scene of the first American commando landing of the Pacific war, when Colonel James Roosevelt led an attack on the island which put its defences out of action for many months. The Gilbert Islands were seized by the Japanese soon after Pearl Harbour and have been several times attacked by United States Navy task forces. It has not been disclosed from what base the Allied invasion force was despatched, but the Ellice Islands, which American Marines occupied on September 4, are only 700 miles southeast of Tarawa.

The landings will probably be followed by others on positions even more vital to the enemy's defensive strategy, says the Associated Press correspondent, John Hightower. Apparently the landings are a manoeuvre to gain bases from which to support the next move, which may be aimed against Nauru, to the west, or against the Marshalls, to the north. Admiral Nimitz must keep the attack rolling fast and build up Makin and Tarawa as bases.

The United Press’ Washington correspondent says military experts regard the landings as the second arm. of a powerful pincers aimed at Truk, 1500 miles westwards, where the major portion of the Japanese fleet is based. Tarawa and Makin from the primary eastern defences of Truk, which is already threatened by the Solomons drive. Once Truk falls the sea route to Tok'.o is open. BOMBING OF JAVA TARGETS DIFFICULT TO FIND Recd. 6 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 20. Before dropping their bombs, United States Liberators spent three hours over Java on Thursday try-ng to find their targets through the thick cloud. The bombers, which were in the air for 15 hours, flew abouW24oo miles to make their third and heaviest raid of the month on Java. They unloaded 27 tons of bombs, including 1000-pounders. The main targets were the important oil refineries at Tjepoe, 70 miles west of Sourabaya, and Tankoeng, Perak aerodrome, the main airfield at Sourabay. The Liberators also struck at Den Pasar aerodrome on Bali for the first time since the outbreak of war. Bad weather prevented observation of the results.

All the planes returned to the Australian mainland

MOVE ANTICIPATED AUSTRALIAN ANALYSTS

(Special Australian Correspondent—N.Z.P. A.) i Recd. 9.20 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 22. The American occupation of Makin and Tarawa Islands, in the Gilbert group, announced by Admiral Nimitz to-day. had been anticipated by military commentators in Australia. Signs of this newest offensive move against the Japanese were seen in the past fortnight’s heavy and persistent air attacks on enemy strong-points, both in the Gilbert and Marshall groups.

The Americans have for some time been building up forces for a forward move in the Central Pacific, and Admiral Nimitz’s recent statement, promising to “blast the Japanese from their island strongholds in the most direct manner,” was widely accepted as implying that direct assaults upon and the occupation of strong-points in the Gilbert and possibly the Marshall groups were intended. Reviewing the latest operations in the Central Pacific, together with General MacArthur’s offensive actions in the New Britain and Bougainville area, the Sydney Herald, in an editorial to-day, points out that all these Japanese outposts assist to screen the enemy’s great base of Truk in the Carolines. Japan must therefore fight hard- in defence of her outer shield, since the penalty for failure would be a dangerous American advance towards this centre of her power. “The present manifestations of American aggressiveness,” adds the paper, “are hard to reconcile with complaints that an insufficient proportion of the United States war output is being allocated to the Pacific. It matters less that any specific Pacific Command area should be supplied according to its desires than that the greatest available Allied strength should be directed against the Japanese at the points selected by sound, over-all strategy.” The Sydney Telegraph to-dav also comments editorially on the Pacific war—with particular reference to the present fighting in New Guinea. Emphasising that the Japanese in New Guinea are still strong, well-equipped and tenacious, the paper says that conflicting reports have given a muddled picture of the current campaign. Statements a month ago that the Japanese at Satelberg were “weak in numbers and of little significance” are now being followed bv reports of bitter and difficult fighting.

“Light-hearted (.confidence does the morale of our troops no good,” says the paper. “Nor does silly writing down of the Japanese help us in America. The Americans naturally decide that General MacArthur is doing well enough with the equipment he has, and that there is no urgent need to send more men and arms. Any attempt to obscure the truth about the Japanese strength in this area does General MacArthur and his fighting men a grave disservice.”

HEAVYAIR RAID JAPANESE SUPPLY DUMP LEFT IN RUINS Recd. 10.55 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 22. Liberator bombers from the Southwest Pacific Command at the weekend unloaded 138 tons of bombs o n a bia Japanese supply dump area at Ring Ring plantation, near Gasmata, New Britain. Apart from the Rabaul raids it was the he • iest strike to date on an enemy oase in New Britain. Our bombers left the entire dump area in smoking ruins. A 10,000-ton enemy cargo ship was left in flames and when last observed was being abandoned by the crewafter an attack by a United States Navy Catalina in St. George Channel, New Britain, on Friday night. The vessel was part of a convoy which also included two destroyers and two medium-sized tankers. The convoy was attacked about 45 miles northwest of Rabaul. General MacArthur’s communique, which reports these successful aerial attacks, also states that A.I.F. forces attacking Satelberg, New Guinea, continue to increase their pressure on the enemy. The Japanese entrenched around the township are still being pounded by our tanks and artillery. The Australians are receiving telling air support. Allied lighter patrols minimised enemy air opposition to the Australian advance by dispersing 27 raiders, shooting down one. Low-flying Thunderbolt, fighters made sweeps along the northern New I Guinea coast in the Hansa Bay area. I The Japanese failed to put up any air interception, but anti-aircraft fire cost lus one plane. Seven enemy barges ■and a lugger were destroyed. GENERAL RELIEVED : Recd. 6 p.m. New York, Nov. 21. ' Admiral Halsey announced at his I South Pacific headquarters that Major-General Ralph Mitchell, of the Marines, has relieved Major-General i Nathan Twining of the Army, as com- • mander of all aircraft hi the -Soloimons. This is in conformity with the ' policy of rotating arduous’ front-line commands. ! Admiral Halsey paid a tribute to the magnificent job of Major-General Twining-'s airmen in neutralising the Japanese Bougainville airfields and destroying 700 planes.

MATILDA TANKS SURPRISE TO JAPANESE (Special Australian Correspondent—N.Z.P.A.) Recd. 6 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 22. Twenty-elght-ton British Matilda tanks were the big surprise weapon used by the Australians in their drive against Satelberg which began last Wednesday. It was the first time tanks as heavy as this had been used in New Guinea. Smashing through the jungle, the Matildas quickly drove the Japanese from their last strongpoints on the vital Cocoanut Ridge commanding the main track 3000 yards from Satelberg, which had seriously hindered the AI.F. advance. Elaborate precautions were taken to ensure that the tanks would be a complete surprise to the enemy. After being landed from barges the Matildas were concealed in cocoanut plantations. They were moved up to the Satelberg track after the bridges on the coast had been strengthened. A heavy artillery barrage provided sound cover to conceal the noise of the movement of the tanks. They were hidden again, this time in thick bamboo, to await the launching of Wednesday's attack. Australian war correspondents who watched the offensive say the tanks moved out towards Satelberg just before dawn. Then Australian 25-pounders poured shells into the first objective, Cocoanut Ridge, an area roughly 300 by lb. yards and studded with enemy defences. American rocket guns firing a selfpropelled fragmentation bomb, which were being used for the first time in New Guinea, joined with the 25pounders. Under this barrage the tanks moved forward and in a few minutes their cannon and machineguns were blazing away at the first Japanese bunker lying across the trail. Then the Australian infantry took a hand, and shortly afterwards our Air Force went into action. United States Lightning fighters provided the cover for the R.A.A.F. Vultee Vengeance dive-bmobers and Marauder medium bombers, which pounded the entire area. After this the tanks moved along Cocoanut Ridge blasting out stubborn enemy pockets of resistance. Thev were followed by the infantry, who completed mopping up. The condition of Cocoanut Ridge after its capture testified to the accuracy and hitting power of the Allied artillery end aerial Many , strongly built defences had been destroyed. The fragmentation bombs from the American rocket guns had achieved devastating results. Again, on Thursday and Friday, Australian troops enlarged their gains. Satelberg now towers 1200 feet above them. Despite the ferocity of the fighting, our casualties are described as "incredibly light.” However, hard battling lies ahead before Satelberg falls. Australians first used tanks in New Guinea in the Buna and Sanananda campaigns. They plyaed a decisive role in crushing the enemy resistance. The Japanese attempted to use tanks when they landed at Milne Bey in eastern New Guinea more than a year ago, but they became bogged down in the jungle swamps and had to be abandoned. JOB FOR JNGINEERS JUNGLE CAMPAIGNS IN PACIFIC Recd. 8.30 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 22. The Pacific jungle campaigns are described by Major-General Eugene Riebold, Chief of Engineers, United States Army, as the toughest engineering job he has ever seen. Major-General Piebold and members of his staff are making a tour o-f the south-west and South Pacific battle zones. They are at present in New Guinea, where they will visit the forward areas. “I marvel at what our Engineers have done,” Major-General Riebold said. “The war here is more than ever an Engineers’ war. In North Africa, for example, we had fine ports and rail and road links right from Casablanca to Tunis. Here you get your supplies to a beach and find nothing but jungle.” The general held out the prospects of an increased flow of equipment, saying that he hoped the shinping position would improve to allow increased American war production to be transported to the fighting fronts.