AMERICAN STROKE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 March 1942, Page 3

AMERICAN STROKE

JAPANESE REGIMENT SMASHED IN PHILIPPINES BREAK IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH JAVA ENEMY LANDING ON NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA

THREAT TO TORRES STRAIT LANDING MADE BY ENEMY SOUTH OF LAE Nearest Approach Yet Made to Mainland of Australia OUTCOME OF BATTLE FOR BANDOENG AWAITED LATE DEVELOPMENTS IN BURMA LONDON, Marcli 8. . The latest news from the Pacific war theatre comes in a United States War Department communique which reports that American artillery smashed a Japanese motorised infantry regiment at Abucay. A surprise attack was made from hidden gun positions. The enemy regiment was intended to reinforced the Japanese on the Batan front. Twenty-nine of the lorries, with most of their occupants, were destroyed. The lieutenant-general commanding the Japanese forces in the Philippines is reported to have committed hari-kiri last month, the reason being his failure to overcome the American and Filipino forces. v The Japanese have landed on the north coast of the Australian mandated territory of New Guinea, at a point 20 miles south of Lae and 120 miles north of Port Moresby, the key to Torres Strait. This is the nearest point to the Australian mainland yet occupied by the Japanese. There has been no cable communication with Java since yesterday afternoon and the Java radio has not been heard in this country. At that time a battle vzas developing round Bandoeng and on Friday the Japanese had penetrated the defences of Bandoeng at an important point. The enemy had already entirely isolated Surabaya, the naval base at the eastern end of the island. The Netherlands Government emphatically denies that it has asked for an armistice. The Japanese are putting out reports of this kind in the hope of creating confusion. They are broadcasting claims in foreign countries and then citing * reports from these countries in support of their claims. £ There is no recent news of the British forces fighting in I Java. The Japanese claim that the occupation of Southern Sum- £ atra has been completed. s In Burma, the Japanese are striking northward at the i roads leading to Mandalay, Lashio and the Burma Road. In f London it is believed that the Japanese aim at thrusting towards Prome, with a view to cutting communications between i north and south Burma. t The Japanese are repeating the claim they made nearly a r fortnight ago that Japanese troops have occupied Rangoon. * There is no confirmation whatever of this in London. The t latest reports of the fighting is that the Japanese have occu- t pied two villages on the road from Rangoon to China 60 or 70 miles from Rangoon.