RAID ON SALAMAUA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 July 1942, Page 3

RAID ON SALAMAUA

MADE BY ALLIED LAND PARTY JAPANESE COMPLETELY SURPRISED. DARING AND SUCCESSFUL OPERATION. (Special P.A. Correspondent.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. Allied land forces have made a daring night raid on the Japanese garrison at Salamaua, in New Guinea. Sixty Japanese were killed or wounded and some equipment was captured. The only casualties among the raiding party were two men wounded. This is reported in the latest SouthWest Pacific communique. The raiding party struck in the darkness, taking the enemy by complete surprise and withdrew to the rough country of the hinterland before the garrison could organise to retaliate effectively. This is the first land offensive carried out by the Allies in the South-West Pacific since General MacArthur took command. Though the communique does not specify the date of the attack, it may have taken place on Sunday night. The operation was a harrassing raid, undoubtedly designed for the main purpose of securing information. It has not been revealed whether the raid was made by Australian or American land forces. The only Japanese reprisal announced by General Headquarters is that soon after the raid the enemy sent over planes to bomb the villages of Komiatum, two miles south-west of Salamaua and Mubo, ten miles to the south. Apparently the Japanese attacked these villages because they believed them, to be the points from which the Allied raiders operated. The communique claims that no damage was done by the bombings. Early in March, when Japanese forces first occupied Lae and Salamaua, it was reported that Australian guerilla troops were frequently in contact with the enemy, in sorties across the Francisco River, which runs near Salamaua. Although Sunday night’s operation is the first raid to be reported since March, it is clear that Allied troops of the commando type have been in New Guinea’s heavy jungle . country for some weeks. The four main routes over the Owen and Stanley Ranges, which rise in places to 13,000 feet from Port Moresby to Salamaua and Lae, traverse some of the world’s most difficult jungle country. Unless the troops were transported part way by air the raid on Lae would involve a journey likely to occupy several weeks. The latest headquarters communique also reports Allied bombing attacks on Tuesday night on the wharf and aerodrome at Rabaul, in New Britain, and on the aerodrome at Lae. The results at Lae were not observed, but at Rabaul fires were started.