VALIANT STAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 April 1942, Page 3

VALIANT STAND

IN DEFENCE OF RABAUL MADE BY SMALL AUSTRALIAN FORCE. ENEMY LANDING ACHIEVED AT HEAVY PRICE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright I SYDNEY, April 6. After more than two months’ silence following the fall of Rabaul before an overwhelming Japanese force on January 23, Australian war correspondents in New Guinea are now able'to tell the story of bloody struggles in which the Australian garrison was engaged.

Though it is possible that the full Australian casualties at Rabaul, including prisoners, number about 700, large numbers of soldiers have reached the safety of Australian bases. The garrison comprised 1400 A.1.F., militia and permanent troops. They fought against odds of more than 10 to one and did not give in till the Japanese landing force, comprising between 17,000 and 20,000 men, had suffered at least 2COO casualties.

In the final decisive action they fought without assistance from air or sea against a Japanese land force, an air armada of at least 150 bombers, dive-bombers and fighters, and against the guns of a formidable naval force. LITTLE AIR SUPPORT. The attack began on January 20 with a fierce aerial onslaught against Rabaul in which the enemy used 60 bombers and 20 fighters. Against th'is force the defenders were able to put only five Wirraways into the air. These five shot down two Japanese machines before they themselves were shot down. Five other enemy planes were brought down by ground fire, but from that point the Australian defenders had no air support. On January 22 110 Japanese planes launched a ferocious attack against the shipping and defence positions at Rabaul, and the invasion began early on the following morning. Daybreak disclosed about 25 warships, transports and mine-sweepers in the bay and other destroyers, and three air-craft-carriers anchored further out. MORTARS SMASH BARGES. The enemy immediately began to attack in force, using thousands of troops under cover of the warships’ guns and a force of about 100 planes. The landing barges, each carrying 50 to 100 men, were caught by fierce mortal’ fire from the Australian positions, leaving scores of Japanese struggling and screaming in the water. The Japanese came on, however, and at several positions the Australians were forced to retire. At Raluna beach, which was held doggedly by 150 men of the A.1.F., the Japanese attempted to land several thousand troops, but barbed-wire near the water’s edge trapped them and their casualties were enormous. Fire from concealed Australian positions swept the wire with a terrible hail of lead, and the water was thick with the bbdies of the fallen Japanese. For an hour the bloodiest battle of the New Guinea campaign continued l . Barge after barge moved in, and bridges over the barbed wire were' made with the bodies of dead soldiers. In beach fighting and hand-to-hand struggles that followed in the coastal gullies, at least 1500 Japanese lost their lives, it is estimated, and the total casualties of the Japanese were 2000. RETREAT THROUGH JUNGLE. By noon the Japanese were swarming everywhere, and, further resistance being useless, the Australians retreated through the bush. For weeks they struggled through an almost ceaseless tropical downpour, hacking their way through jungles and wallowing through swamps, tormented by swarms of mosquitoes and sand flies. For many days their ration was one army biscuit and onetwelfth of a tin of bully beef to each man daily. Emaciated, and wearing only shreds of their uniforms, the troops finally reached Australian bases.