ALLIES PUSHING ON FROM KOKODA

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 35, 5 November 1942, Page 5

ALLIES PUSHING ON FROM KOKODA

No Great Resistance (By Telegraph. —Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, November 4. (Received November 5, 11.5 p.m.) Allied troops in Papua are now approaching Oivi, continuing their pursuit of the retreating Japanese. Oivi is nine miles north of Kokoda at the junction of the east and west trails which branch from Alola.

No serious fighting has been reported since last week’s bayonet charges which cleared the Japanese from Alola. About 11 miles farther north from Oivi is the Wairopi bridge, crossing the Kumusi River, and here, in favourable terrain with the advantages of the motor supply road from Buna, the Japanese are likely to make a stand. Today’s communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters, says that one of the two transports which were bombed during the enemy’s attempted landing of reinforcements at Buna is still burning off the south coast of New Britain in the same position as when it was attacked. The fate of the troops aboard is not known. An attack by Allied medium bombers on enemy shipping in Buin, northern Solomons, is also reported in today’s communique.

The attack is not spoken of as heavy, and this may indicate a reduction in the number of Japanese warships in the area. Before the earlier damaging attacks by Aus-tralia-based Flying Fortresses, 3a enemy warships were reported near Buin.

Allied plaues have also resumed the attack on Dilli, in Portuguese Timor Fires were still burning from the previous day’s heavy raids, aud fresh ones were started. The Japanese attempted to intercept the second wave of the Allied attack with five Zeros, at least one of which was destroyed, a second probably destroyed aud a third damaged. All our planes returned.