MANY JAPANESE LOST AT SEA

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 15, 13 October 1943, Page 5

MANY JAPANESE LOST AT SEA

Kolombangara Island Evacuation

(By Telegraph.— Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.)

(Received October 12, 9.40 p.m.) SYDNEY,- October 12.

lii ithe Solomon Islands the Japanese now appear to control only two bases for effective resistance—Bougainville and Choiseul Islands. No official announcement has been made confirming the assumption in, Washington that Allied forces have completed the occupation of Santa Ysabel Island, with its seaplane base at Rekata Bay, which, the American conquest of the New Georgia group has tended to outflank. In evacuating their central Solo- '■ mens base on Kolomibangara Island, in the New Georgia group, the Japanese lost 5000 men at sea, according to the estimate of an Australian war correspondent with the American Fleet in the South Pacific. He believes that the enemy garrison on Kolomibangara originally numbered 10,000. The same correspondent suggests Japanese on Choiseul Island, to the north, are endeavouring to escape to Bougainville, which is the only stronghold in the Solomons barring the way to Rabaul. Many of these Choiseul survivors will also perish. in attempting to run the blockade to- Bougainville. The Japanese in evacuating Kolombangara lost as many men to the United States Navy in a few hectic nights as the United States Army slaughtered at Munda in five bitter weeks, and this is an aspect of the island fighting that should not ! be overlooked, the Australian war correspondent says. “In by-passing Kolombangara and making the Japanese position there untenable we have won the island and wiped out half of the garrison at infinitesmal cost in -blood to ourselves.” Blow at Prestige. The loss of Kolombangara was a direct blow at the Japanese Army’s prestige, reports an American correspondent in the Solomons. The defence of the island had been entrusted to the 13th Imperial Regiment, which was directly answerable to the Mikado’s orders. The evacuation of Kolombangara also meant humiliation for Japan’s usually able Engineering Corps, which had been unable to convert Vila into a workable airstrip. Because a forklike stream cuts the runway, they had never been able to make the field useable consistently, though the Zero requires a shorter run for a takeoff than the heavier Allied fighters. The “New York Times,” commenting on the recent series of Japanese setbacks and withdrawals in the southern Pacific, says “The enemy’s New Britain base of Rabaul now lies open to attack from two sides, and all signs point to heavier blows being about to fall on the outer rim of the Japanese rampart.” General MacArthur’s communique today reports that between Bougainville anil New Ireland our bombers on Monday attacked two 6000-ton Japanese freighters, one being set on lire and the other being sunk or seriously damaged. On Saturday Liberators made their fourth round trip of 2400 miles ro bomb Macassar, in the Celebes. They dropped 25 tons of bombs among warehouses and fuel tanks and left fires which could be seen 90 miles away.