MORE JAPS. LAND

Evening Star, Issue 24287, 31 August 1942, Page 3

MORE JAPS. LAND

INCREASED PRESSURE ON NEW GUINEA JUNGLE BATTLE RAGING Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, August 30. A deterioration in the Allies’ position in New Guinea in the past 12 hours is reported by a 8.8. C. correspondent in Australia. For four days, he says, a jungle battle has been raging, and the assaults on our forces by Japanese shock troops have increased in severity. The latest reports indicate that the situation must now be described as grave. Under cover of bad weather the Japanese have succeeded in landing reinforcements, the correspondent adds, and have pushed on to such an extent as to endanger the Allies’ hold on the Milne Bay area. The arrival of the second Japanese landing force last night came as a surprise, as the bad weather had screened its approach. The weather was, in fact, so bad at times that it was impossible to get oven reconnaissance planes into the air. Reports of laud fighting at Lao, Salamaua, and Kokoda suggest that Japanese pressure is increasing throughout the New Guinea area. IN STEAMY HEAT INTENSE JUNGLE FIGHTING VETERAN A.I.F. MEN IN ACTION SYDNEY, August 30. Fighting of bitter intensity continues at Milne Bay, south-east New Guinea. Here, in the steamy heat and mud of the jungle, the Japanese are meeting the first serious organised resistance offered them since they began their southward drive from the areas north of Australia. Under the cover of a thick haze, which reduced air visibility almost to nil, a Japanese cruiser and eight destroyers on Saturday night put into Milne Bay. Further enemy reinforcements may have been landed. The original enemy force in the area is now revealed to have come from three small transports. Although no estimate has been given of the numbers of this force, it is believed to comprise trained guerrilla fighters, who fought in the assaults on Malaya, the Netherlands, and the East Indios, and the earlier New Guinea landings. The arrival of eight enemy warships in the hay emphasises the enemy’s determination to secure his bridgehead, which is being hotly contested. Veteran A.I.F. troops back from overseas, as well aq militiamen, are opposing the landed forces. They arc supported by a small number of American service troops. The fighting is now in its fifth day. Air operations against the invaders have been considerably hampered by adverse weather conditions. FIGHTER SUPPORT. The latest communique from Allied headquarters makes no reference to attacks on the enemy warships which have newly arrived at Milne Bay, but somewhere in the same sector our bombers attacked a single Japanese destroyer, which is believed to have been damaged. The brilliant Allied fighter piano support for our troops in the area has come exclusively from Australian pilots, including men who have won decorations for their combat records in Britain and the Middle East, One squadron has four D.F.C. winners. The Allied bomber aircraft are manned by Americans. Despite the bad weather, Allied airmen during the past week destroyed at least 33 Zeros in the Now Guinea sector. The Allied losses wore two machines.

Tropical rains have bogged the

jungle tracks in the area in which the Japanese are dug in. The fighting is taking place in the iungle fringing the narrow strip of beach where the Japanese landed last Wednesday. Their landing point was several miles from the head of the bay, which extends 38 miles inland. The enemy speedily infiltrated through dense jungle, where their green uniforms made detection difficult. The first parties brought ashore mortars and machine-guns. CLASHES NEAR BULOLO. The capture of the Milne Bay area would give the Japanese an air base to protect a frontal seaborne attack on Port Moresby. Australian observers, however, feel that appraisal of future possibilities should be cautious. Should the weather further deteriorate, outdifficulties will be increased. Skirmishing continues in the Kokoda.area in Papua, but all the Japanese attempts to advance in this sector have been repulsed. Patrol clashes are also reported for the first time in the (Bulolo area about 35 miles south east of Lae and 150 miles north-west of . Port Moresby. This indicates that Japanese forces have infiltrated along the Markham River valley from their hase at Lae. Bulolo has one of the most important airfields in New Guinea. ALLIED BOMBING. The enemy aerodrome at (Rabaul was the target of an attack by heavy bombers of U-eneral MacArthur's command. During the past 24 hours 10 tons' of bombs were dropped on runways, buildings, and aircraft dispersal areas. Six Zeros were intercepted. Our planes destroyed two and probably destroyed a reconnaissance plane in the same area. They also shot down two more enemy fighters. Other Allied bombers attacked the enemy aerodrome at Buka in the northern Solomons.

On Friday Allied medium bombers raided the enemy positions at Milne Bay, hut bad weather on Saturday did not permit a continuation of the attacks.

To-day’s Allied headquarters communique also reported that a north Australia Allied air unit attacked an enemy cargo vessel near Amboina with unknown results.

Further heavy destruction of Japanese aircraft is reported in a supplementary communique which has just been released at General MacArthur’s headquarters. At Buna, Papua, our medium bombers, with strong fighter escort, made ■ a low-level attack on an enemy airfield. One Zero was demolished by a direct bomb hit. Four more Zeros and one bomber were destroyed on the ground by strafing. Other enemy planes were damaged by bomb blasts. Three large fires were started in the dispersal area.