Organised Resistance To Enemy At Milne Bay

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1942, Page 3

Organised Resistance To Enemy At Milne Bay

Special Australian Correspondent.

Battle in mud and heat of the jungle.

Rec. 11.45 p.m. Sydney, Aug. 30. Fighting of bitter intensity, with no decided result, continues at Milne Bay, in 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 areas north of Australia. Under cover of thick haze which reduced air visibility to almost nil a Japanese cruiser and eight destroyers on Saturday night put in to 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 in Malaya, Netherlands East Indies and the earlier New Guinea landings. The arrival of eight enemy warships in the bay emphasises the enemy's determination to secure his bridgehead, which is being hotly contested. Veteran A.I.F. troops back from overseas, as. well as militiamen, are opposing the landed forces. They are supported by a small number of American service troops. The 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 enemy warships 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. Brilliant Allied fighter plane support for our troops in the area has been exclusively by 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. Allied bomber aircraft are manned by Americans. Despite the bad weather, Allied airmen during the past week destroyed at least 33 Zeros in the New Guinea sector. Allied losses were two machines. , Tropical rains have bogged jungle tracks in the area in which the Japanese

are dug in. Fighting is taking place in 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 dense jungle, where their green uniforms made detection difficult. The first parties brought ashore mortars and machine-guns. The capture of the Mune Bay area would give the Japanese an air base to protect a frontal seaborne attack on Port Moresby. Australian observers, however, feel an appraisal of futur.e possibilities should be cautious. Ebould the weather further deteriorate our difficulties will increase. 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 timo in the Bulolo area, about 35 "miles south-east of Lae and 150 miles north-west of Port Moresby. This indicates 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. An enemy aerodrome at Rabaul was the target for an attack by heavy bombers of General Douglas MacArthur's command. During the past 24 hours 10 tons of bombs were dropped on runways, buildings and aircraft dispersal areas. Six Zeros intercepted our planes. Two were destroyed and two probably destroyed. A reconnaissance plane in the same area shot down two more enemy fighters. Other Allied bombers attacked an enemy aerodrome at Buka, in the northern Solomons. On Friday Allied medium bombers raided enemy positions in Milne Bay, but bad weather on Saturday did not permit a continuation of the attacks. To-day's Allied headquarters communique also reported that a North Australian 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 just released from General MacArthur's headquarters. At Buna, in 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 bom'ier were destroyed on the ground by strafing. Other enemy planes were damaged by bomb blasts. Three large f:res were started in the dispersal area.