JAPANESE STILL IN OWEN STANLEYS

Southland Times, Issue 24874, 14 October 1942, Page 5

JAPANESE STILL IN OWEN STANLEYS

PATROLS EXCHANGE FIRE (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 10 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 13. The Japanese troops are now reported to be occupying positions covering the Owen Stanley trail just south of Templeton’s Crossing, which is the last objective in the heights of the mountains before the rapid descent begins to Kokoda, 12 miles away. The opposing patrols have been skirmishing and exchanging light fire. No official estimate has been given of the size of this Japanese forward force and there is no indication whether the enemy intends to make a determined stand or whether his purpose is merely to hamper the Australian drive. The spokesman at General Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters said today that the Allied troops were believed to have made some advance northward from both Kagi and Myola, which are on alternative routes at the summit of the ranges. \ It is believed the Australians will soon be ready to continue their push and that the present somewhat obscure and confused situation will be clarified within the next few days. For almost a week the Australian forces have been halted in the area of the gap, consolidating their forward positions and strengthening their supply line. Now that the land threat to Port Moresby has been removed no sound strategical reason exists for the immediate continuation of the advance. Over-eagerness might have serious consequences.

Latest reports warn against the view that the Japanese have completely abandoned the Buna-Kokoda area. Allied planes were active on Monday in bombing and strafing attacks along the enemy supply trail and at Buna. One possibility is that the Japanese are maintaining holding forces in the area and that their future actions will be governed by the outcome of the Solomons battle, which is now believed to be nearing a climax. An enemy success in the Solomons would undoubtedly be a prelude to a renewed offensive

against Port Moresby, while a decisive defeat might result in the abandonment of their New Guinea operations. The present skirmishing in the ranges is taking place at an altitude of about 5000 feet. The area is a fairly flat plateau, covered with dense forest. Mucn more difficult country lies both ahead and behind the opposing forces. Once driven out of their present positions the Japanese would be unlikely to offer substantial resistance, at least until the Australian drive had penetrated to the Kokoda area.

FIRST JAPANESE REVERSE Story Of Fighting At Milne Bay (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 10.20 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 13. Because intense Japanese fire prevented small craft from putting m to the shore former Australian life-savers at Milne Bay swam out to the ships with the wounded. This new fact about Japan’s first New Guinea reverse is revealed today. Militiamen (Australian home service troops) took the initial shock of the invasion on the night of August 26. Despite stern opposition the Japanese pushed on steadily for some days, their objective being the airfield, which at that time was not fully developed. Counter-attacks were made and three days and nights of ceaseless, bitter fighting followed. Two Australian Imperial Force units maintained an unrelenting pressure until the enemy, battered and beaten, withdrew. The Japanese fought fiercely throughout and their land forces were backed by naval units which by night heavily shelled the foreshore and adjacent hills. For three weeks before the operations Milne Bay had been drenched by heavy and almost continuous rain. Australian soldiers tell of tramping through mud so heavy and viscous that often they had to step out of their gumboots before they could pull them out of the black, cloying bogs. The troops had to wade the swiftly flowing streams. The roads could not be used for any type of wheeled transport and the men had to carry every single item of equipment. . JAPANESE RETREAT The first enemy landing was made by a force of about 700, but this number later was substantially reinforced. Once the enemy began to be forced back he established three main centres of resistance. The Australians fought their way through each by out-flanking methods. The Japanese countered by withdrawing each time to new prepared positions, where fresh troops were well dug in. This meant that the enemy’s retreating force was progressively gathering strength and offering the Australians stronger opposition. Groups of soldiers hiding in minor tracks off the main track covered the withdrawal by attacking the Australians from the rear as they advanced. Progress was slow as Japanese snipers had to be combed out tree by tree. It was reliably estimated that at least 1000 Japanese were killed at Milne Bay. So fanatical were some enemy soldiers in their determination to kill Australians that parties even swam ashore naked and armed only with knives and bayonets to make surprise raids. Among the enemy equipment captured were “belly” tanks for Zero fighters, heavy machine-guns still in grease- | proof paper wrappings and large quan- ■ tities of medical supplies. MR CURTIN CRITICAL ! ' Race Meetings And Drink (Rec. 6.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 13. Australia’s Prime Minister, Mr John Curtin, has strongly criticized those who are not co-operating in the Federal Government’s austerity campaign. He said there were some people who seemed unable to find recreation except in “fooling about punting and getting drunk, and trying to make a Roman circus out of a'national tragedy.” “How ironical it is that in a country where every ounce of coal is needed for the war effort we must provide extra transport' for race meetings,” said Mr Curtin. “How ironical it is that we must provide refreshment rooms at meetings so a man can have a spot as well as pick a winner. That is not total war. That is not organizing the country to fight. Referring to food shortages, the Prime Minister said: “We are going to send meat to the United Kingdom, so Australia will have meatless days soon. We will send more dairy produce to the United Kingdom, so we must produce more. Our dehydration plants are al- , ready at work preparing dried vegetables for shipment.” Mr Curtin said, as leader of the Labour Party in Australia, and in common with Labour men throughout the world, he had to share the responsibility for not having prepared for war. “We believed that the days of settling international arguments by force were gone,” he said. “We believed in butter before guns. But all this will be vanity if we do not win the war.”

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IMPORTANCE OF SOLOMONS ALLIED SUPPLY LINE (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 6.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 13. The Japanese Navy has been engaged by Allied forces near the Solomons, according to the Paris radio. The results of the engagement will be announced soon, says the radio, quoting the. Japanese Navy Spokesman. There is no news here of such a battle, but Australian observers generally share the belief of London and Washington military and naval experts that a large-scale battle is developing in the Solomons. Japanese reinforcements being landed on Guadalcanar Island under cover of darkness are believed to include veteran jungle fighters from New Guinea, as well as troops from China. CONCENTRATION IN SOLOMONS The vital importance of the Battle of the Solomons to Australia and New Zealand was emphasized in an editorial in The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, today. The paper says: “If the Japanese drove the Americans from Guadalcanar the eastern coast of Australia and the Allied supply route to this country and New Zealand would be open to a flanking attack. The meagre information available suggests that the enemy’s plan is to concentrate all his available SouthWest Pacific forces in the Solomons. Such a move could tilt the balance of power in favour of the Japanese.” Emphasizing the need for strong Allied reinforcements on Guadalcanar The Daily Telegraph says: “It is not suggested that the enemy is preventing American reinforcements from landing. If the distance from the United States is the reason for lack of reinforcements why not send men from Australia? This and other related problems could be solved more expeditiously if we had a single command in the South-West Pacific—not a military command based on Australia and a naval command based on New Zealand. Independent commands in inter-dependent strategic areas are illogical. The Solomons battle should not be regarded merely as a naval show. Its outcome could materially affect the fortunes of the United Nations. We cannot afford to risk a major reverse through remote control and divided command.” IMPORTANT AIRFIELD The opinion in Britain and America is that the Japanese are going slowly in New Guinea and the Aleutians in order to muster their forces for a great effort in the Solomons. It appears to be generally recognized that possession of the Guadalcanar airfield would enable the Japanese to prosecute their prime purpose in the South-West Pacific—the attempted occupation of the New Hebrides and New Caledonia, placing them across the supply line from America to Australia and New Zealand. “No one should minimize the danger of fresh Japanese troop landings in the Solomons,” says Tire Daily Telegraph, London. “The Tokyo war-lords are showing that they are well aware that unless they hold the airfields and harbours of the island chain from Asia across the South-West Pacific they cannot keep their conquests.”

JAPANESE IN MALAYA Many Natives Executed (Rec. 8.50 p.m.) CHUNGKING, Oct. 12. Executions figure largely in the vigorous Japanese campaign to “Nipponize” the Straits Settlements, according to the first Chinese reaching Chungking from Malaya since the fall of Singapore after seven months’ dangerous travel through Thailand, IndoChina and occupied China. He said that in Singapore and Penang the Japanese arrested a large number, particularly students. Many were executed because they rejected Japanese “friendly moves.” The majority of the rubber plantaions and tin mines were still shut down. There was a serious food shortage, particularly in southeast Malaya, where thousands were threatened with starvation. There was frequent friction between the Japanese and the inhabitants of Thailand and Indo-China. Because of the invaders’ economic plundering in the South Seas, the inhabitants lived in dread of Allied bombings. LOYALTY OF INDIES (Rec. 8.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, Oct. 12. Among 70,000,000 Dutch in the East Indies there was not a single quisling, declared the former Governor of East Java, Dr Charles van der Plas. Even now the Japanese were unable to get a quisling and were forced to appoint a Japanese Mayor of Sourabaya. Indonesians were still fighting the invader on Timor and Borneo and underground forces were active in Java, many Japanese being killed nightly.