POUNDING BY ALLIES

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 21981, 9 March 1943, Page 3

POUNDING BY ALLIES

ATTACKS IN PACIFIC LARGE FIRES STARTED (United Prpss Assn.—Elec. Tei. Copyright) (Special Australian Correspondent) SYDNEY, March 8 Following on their destruction of the Japanese convoy last week, General MacArthur’s bombers on Sunday kept up their offensive against the enemy bases in the arc of islands to Australia’s north. An 8000-ton enemy cargo vessel, headed east, was bombed’ with unobserved results in Stephen Strait, between Vulcan Island and the north coast of New Guinea. Toeal, in Kei Islands, in the Banda Sea, was attacked by a force of Aus-tralian-manned Hudsons and Dutchmanned Mitchells. Large fires were started along the waterfront area at this Japanese base, which has been heavily raided recently. Liberators maintained routine attacks on the Japanese aerodromes at Gasmata and Cape Gloucester, New Britain, and Salamaua* in New Guinea. Havoc attack bombers made 33 strafing attacks on the passes across Guadagasal Saddle, the gateway to Mybo, at present occupied by enemy troops. Recently several “softening” attacks have been made by our air force on targets in this area. The same Havocs swept along the north Guinea coast machine-gunning loaded enemy supply barges near Mindrudutu Island and rakng the air-strip at Dona. Dona is on the coast between Salamaua, Cape Wardhunt and Mindrudutu Island, just to the north of it. After shooting down six Zeros over Darwin on March 3 Spitfires destroyed a light bomber which was reconnoitring the area on Sunday. More than 800 Japanese aircraft, 40 warships and 78 cargo vessels have been definitely destroyed in the South-west Pacific area since the first issue of daily communiques from General MacArthur’s headquarters on April l 21, 1942. With probably destroyed and damaged machines, the total of Japanese aircraft put out of action in this period is close on 1000, while 255 ships of all types have been either sunk or damaged. These figures are compiled from the day-to-day communiques and do not take into account the large numbers of enemy aircraft known to have been destroyed on the ground, nor the estimated ship losses in raids, or which it has been impossible to confirm results. Defensive, Not Offensive “Both General MacArthur and Admiral Halsey have been expected to do a big man’s job with a boy’s equipment,” writes Joseph Harsch, military correspondent of the Christian Science Monitor. “American and British service officials have realised this, and would like to have sent both commanders greater forces than they have been able to supply.” However, the Allied plan of strategy was worked out, because it was felt absolutely impossible to fight simultaneous offensives both in Europe and in the Pacific, adds Mr Harsch. To have divided the offensives evenly woirld have meant futility in each. Whether the decision to concentrate on Europe first was right or wrong, it had never since been possible to depart from it without jeopardising everything everywhere. “The decision was made with the expectation that General MacArthur and Admiral Halsey would be able to hold the Japanese at bay while the other campaign was going on,” says Mr Harsch. “There never has been any absence of realisation as to how much was being expected of them, and appeals from down unde” have been accepted as more or less inevitable. But the-'e appeals have not been acted on beyond minimum estimates of what was necessary to hold that front. “While there was no doubt the Japanese have been strengthening their positions throughout the islands north of Australia, these concentrations are still considered in Washington to be short of the size sufficient for an offensive attempt against Australia. The assumption here is that the Japanese have decided to concentrate on defence so far as the Pacific islands are concerned.”