VICTORY IN PAPUA

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 102, 25 January 1943, Page 5

VICTORY IN PAPUA

Carnage Over FINAL DAY AT SANANANDA

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) , (Received January 24, 9 p.m.) SYDNEY, January 24. All organized Japanese opposition in Papua lias been smashed. Land fighting in the area has now ceased. The last three pockets of resistance round Sanananda were wiped out on Friday, and ths .moppingup operations were completed yesterday. The enemy lulled in the final week’s fighting are believed to number at least 1000, and more than 100 prisoners were captured. A considerable amount of equipment, including field guns,,trucks, and ammunition, has fallen into our hands. The only Japanese now remaining in Papua are refugee bauds hiding in jungles and swamps. The strongest of these bands is thought to be established in the delta area of the Mambare River, 42 miles north-west of Buna. An enemy landing attempt was made in this area on December 14, but only a comparatively small number of the landed troops survived the Allied air attacks. The delta has recently been heavily strafed by our attack planes. Six-Hour Finale.

The last of the Japanese _in the Sanananda area continued their suicide stand and were killed or wounded almost to a man. Heavy mortar and machinegun fire opened Friday’s final Allied assaults, and within six hours the enemy resistance had.been crushed. The Sanananda area had more artillery weapons and more stoutly constructed defences than any other enemy position which had been encountered in Papua. The first largescale attacks against here by the Allies were launched following the fall of Buna mission on January 2. In the largest pocket of resistance more than 500 Japanese dead were counted. The bodies of many snipers were found lashed to trees. 'The .Sydney “Sunday Sun’s” war correspondent, F. C. Folkard, places the number of enemy kijled in the fighting round Sanananda at 1500, but he says that in addition deaths from tropical diseases hud been numerous among the enemy. Lessons Learned. Summarizing the offensive lessons learned by the Allies in the land fighting in Papua, another “Sun” war correspondent says that these included : (1) The need for the training of special anti-sniping units, who have lately proved highly effective against the Japanese tree top pests; (2) The value of close support from light artillery, which could be equipped with skids for movement along the muddy jungle tracks, and (3) greater use of incendiary weapons against wooden pill-boxes. The Japanese weaknesses revealed during the campaign included (1) a blind faith in fixed defences, combined with a tendency to panic when caught in the open—though the troops would always die rather than surrender; (2), the enemy equipment particularly rifles and grenades, deteriorated in the humid tropic climate; (3), the communication services frequently broke down, leaving the garrisons short of ammunition; and (4), the enemy artillery was inadequate, and their intelligence service was poor.