NEARING KOKODA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20919, 20 October 1942, Page 3

NEARING KOKODA

'I AUSTRALIAN PUSH JAPANESE REPULSED HILL COUNTER-ATTACKS (Special Australian Correspondent.) (10.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 20. The Japanese are hanging tenaciously to positions in the heights of the Owen Stanley range. But the Allied troops are continuing their advance. Fighting has moved north of Templeton’s Crossing and is now near Eora Creek, a village only 10 miles, less than eight hours’ march, from the key village of Kokoda at the northern foothills of the ranges. On Sunday night the Japanese made a.series of counter-attacks —their first since the fall of loribaiwa on October 1. They were repulsed with heavy casualties. Allied troops have captured mortars, light machine-guns and other equipment. The extent of our looses has not been reported. The Japanese defences have been revealed to be in considerable depth. Posts were found in all stages of the latest Allied two-mile advance. The enemy is being blasted out by flanking patrols arid mortar fire. . Supporting our ground troops, Allied aircraft strafed the Wairopa area. Allied air activity has also included rdids on Manus Island in the Admiralty group, on Tileolo, 70 miles off the coast of New Britain and on Mubo, inland from Salamaua. A dock and an enemy-occupied village on Tileolo Island were set on fire. At Mubo the attack caused fires and troop casualties.