MOVING FORWARD IN NEW GUINEA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 60, 11 March 1944, Page 5

MOVING FORWARD IN NEW GUINEA

AMERIC/N MARINES

PROGRESS OF PACIFIC WAR

ONLY 1000 MEN MADE ADMIRALTY LAC'DING

(Special Australian Correspondent—N.Z.P.A.l Recd. 30.45 p.m. March 10.

American Marines on the Willaumez Peninsula, in northern New Britain, are within two miles of the strategi-cally-imprtant Jananese airfield at Talasea. The field is within 170 miles of Rabaul. Americans landed on the Peninsula last week. They are continuing to advance, despite strong enemy resistance. Already many Japanese dead had been counted. Allied air units are co-operating with the ground forces, and on Tuesday bombed Talasea, destroying buildings and starting fires. In the Admiralty Group. Americans on Los Negros Island are further expanding their positions around the perimeter of Momote airfield. Our naval and supply ships have entered Seeadler Harbour without interfer-

ence. Seeadler is sheltered on the east by Los Negros Island, and on the south and west by Manus Island. Mitchell medium bombers have again attacked targets on Manus, chiefly at the main enemy base of Lorengau. It is officially revealed that the original United States landing force in the Admiralty Islands comprised only lOftO troops. They were men of the Ist Cavalry Division (dismounted), which was developed from the stii Regiment, formed in 1855, end first commanded by General Robert Lee. Photographic reconnaissance over the much-bombed base of Rabaul reveals there are fewer than 50 aircraft on the aerodromes there, and that, save for the usual barge concentrations and harbour craft, there is now no undamaged shipping in the harbour. Five parked planes were destroyed in the latest raid on Rabaul, when our Solomons-based aircraft dropped 56 tons of bombs on the township and on Lakunai and Tobera aerodromes. In New Guinea the Allied Air Forces have made a heavy strike against Japanese aerodromes around Wewak. When Liberators dropped 56 tons of bombs on Awar and Nubia airfields, they were intercepted by 40 Japanese fighters. Our escorting fighters, suffering only light losses, shot down 17 enemy machines, with ten others which were were probably destroyed.