ENEMY BOMBS CAUSE CASUALTIES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 201, 23 May 1944, Page 5

ENEMY BOMBS CAUSE CASUALTIES

Used In Booby-Traps (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received May 22, 9 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 22. Japanese bombs caused casualties as well as losses of stores at Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, where American invasion troops lauded on April 22. The Australians advancing up the New Guinea coast from Alexishafen have also had to conduct careful “delousing” operations as they went forward. The ticking of a time mechanism enabled Australians at the Alexishafen airstrip to discover an explosive charge placed in a dump of 30 2001 b. bombs. More than 160 mines and bombs were found round Alexishafen’s two airstrips. For their traps, .the Japanese used Sin. mortar bombs, 1001 b. anti-personnel bombs, and 2001 b. aerial bombs. At Hollandia, bomb exlosions during cleaningup operations have done more to impede the Americans’ progress than.any direct Japanese opposition. ■ • On Friday a -bomb burst after it had been struck by a bulldozer working on the beach. The bulldozer was hurled into the air, the driver being killed and several soldiers wounde dby the shrapnel fragments. The explosion set off nearby ammunition dumps, causing heavy damage among supplies. Two 5001 b. bombs which exploded in a fire caused casualties among soldiers and natives. However, the total of American casualties at Hollandia is negligible. About 1500 Japanese have been killed and more than 400 taken prisoner. A book found at Hollandia throws an interesting light on the abortive Japanese plans for the invasion of Australia. It is a manual of several hundred pages printed in Japanese and giving detailed information about harbours and ports on Australia’s east coast. Obviously, the book was intended to be a guide to the invading forces. It contained a wealth of information, even about the smallest coastal centres, together with illustrations evidently intended to assist in the identification of landmarks.