WON RENOWN

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22245, 14 January 1944, Page 4

WON RENOWN

BRILLIANT AUSTRALIANS JAPANESE HARASSED DARING PATROL WORK (Special Australian Correspondent) (Received Jan. 14. 3.15 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 14 Brilliant patrol work by selected Australian urtits is proving an important factor in speeding the war in the South-west Pacific. For months one special force in the Ramu Valley, New Guinea, has been detached from the main body of the Australian forces and has operated behind the Japanese lines. Supplies have been dropped to them from the air. These arc the men who early in the war against Japan won renown as the famous commandos of Timor. For many months they made harassing raids from a secret base in the hinterland of the island, their activities provoking the Japanese to offer lavish rewards for their betrayal. In recent months the unit has roamed behind the Japanese lines in New Guinea. As well as gaining invaluable reconnaissance information men have killed about 100 Japanese, with small loss to themselves. Their scouts were the first to supply information about the dispositions in the Finisterre ranges. These enemy positions arc now under attack by the main Australian force. Crossing of Ranges One of the unit's most notable patrol exploits has been to ‘cross the Finisterrc ranges and reach within a dozen mile- of ihe important. Japanese coastal supply base of Bogadjim. only 20 miles below Madang. The patrol- took a month to accomplish its mission. News just, released of a brilliant South-west Pacific sea patrol exploit tells how four nights before the United Stater, Marines landed on Cape Gloucester. New Britain, on Boxing Day. an Australian naval man landed cn the Japanese-held beach. He is Lieutenant Eric Howitt, of Brisbane, formerly captain of an administration yacht operating from Rabaul and now attached to American patrol torpedo-boat units as a pilot. To prepare the way for the Cape Gloucester invasion Lieutenant Howitt led a convoy of torpedo-boats to a point near the airstrips on which a landing was later made. For three hours during the night members of the convoy took soundings and located hidden reefs. The accomplishment of their mission was largely responsible for the bloodless nature of the initial landings. It is now officially reported that the total American casualties at Cape Gloucester since the landings are 400 men killed, wounded or missing, compared with 2400 counted Japanese dead and a great number of wounded.