HEAVY FIGHTING AT MILNE BAY

Southland Times, Issue 24836, 31 August 1942, Page 5

HEAVY FIGHTING AT MILNE BAY

A.I.F. And Militia In Action (Special Australian Correspondent, N.ZJP.A.) (Rec. 10.40 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 30 ' Fighting of bitter intensity with no decided result continues in Milne Bay, in the south-east of New Guinea . Here in the steamy heat and mud of the jungle the Japanese are meeting the hr t serious organized resistance °®ered them since they began theirsouth war drive from areas north of Australia. Under cover of a thick haze which reduced air visibility almost to nil a Japanese cruiser and eight destriers on Saturday put into Milne Bay. further enemy reinforcements may have been landed. . The original enemy force in the area is now revealed to have come three small transports. Although no estimate has been given of the numbers this force is believed to comprise trained guerrilla fighters who fought in assaults in Malaya, the Netherlands East Indies and the earlier New Guinea landings. The arrival of eight enemy warships in the bay emphasizes the enemy s determination to secure his bridgehead, which is being hotly contested. Veteran Australian Imperial Force troops back from overseas, as well as militiamen, are opposing the landed forces. They are supported by a small number of American service troops. Fighting is now in its fifth day. Air operations against the invader have been considerably hampered by adverse weather. The latest Allied headquarters communique makes no reference to attacks on the enemy waships newly arrived in Milne Bay, but somewhere in the same sector our bombers attacked a single Japanese destroyer which is believed to have been damaged. fighter support Brilliant Allied fighter plane support for our troops in the area has been given exclusively by Australian pilots, including men who have won decorations for their combat records in Britain and the Middle East. One squadron has four Distinguished r lying Cross winners. Allied bomber aircraft are manned by Americans. Raspite bad weather Allied airmen during the past week destroyed at least 33 Zeros in the New Guinea sector. The Allied losses were two machines. Tropical rains have bogged the jungle tracks in the area, in which the Japanese have dug in. Fighting is taking place in the jungle 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 the dense jungle, where their green uniforms made detection difficult. The first parties brought ashore mortars and machine-guns. The capture of the Milne Bay area would give the Japanese an air base to protect a frontal sea-borne attack on Port Moresby. Australian observers, however, feel that appraisal of future possibilities should be cautious. Should the weather further deteriorate our difficulties will be increased. Skirmishing continues in the Kokoda area. Papua, but all 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 base at Lae. Bulolo has one of the most important airfields in New Guinea. RABAUL AERODROME BOMBED

The enemy aerodrome at Rabaul was the target for an attack by heavy bombers of General Douglas MacArthur’s command during the past 24 hours. Ten tons of bombs were dropped on runways, buildings and aircraft dispersal areas. Six Zeros intercepted

our planes. Two were destroyed and two were probably destroyed. A reconnaissance plane in the same area 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 enemy positions at Milne Bay, but bad weather on Saturday did not permit a continuation of the attacks. Today’s Allied headquarters communique -Iso reported that north of Australia an Allied air unit attacked an enemy cargo vessel near Amboina with unknown results. A further heavy destruction of Japanese aircraft is reported in a supplementary communique just released by General MacArthur’s headquarters at Buna, Papua. Our medium bombers with a strong fighter escort made a low-level attack on the enemy airfield. One Zero was demolished by a direct bomb hit and 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.