SMASHING BLOWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 November 1942, Page 4

SMASHING BLOWS

STRUCK BY ALLIED FORCES AT JAPANESE POSITIONS IN PAPUA. ENEMY DRIVEN OUT OF SOPUTA. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.50 p.m.) . SYDNEY, This Day. The Australians and Americans are smashing through the Japanese triangular perimeter defences in the 1 Buna-Gono-Soputa area. The Allied forces have captured Soputa the inland apex of the triangle and are now attacking the enemy at five points within their narrow beachhead. Soputa was heavily defended with mortars, machine-guns and fixed antiaircraft defences, but fell after a heavy two-day fight. The Japanese defenders have withdrawn to link up with their main force in Buna, where the Americans are attacking at three separate points. The Americans are now on three sides of Buna airfield and its capture is regarded as imminent. Australian units attacking Gona are reported to have inflicted substantial casualties on the Japanese. It is revealed that on Saturday the Japanese suffered their heaviest pounding from the air since the Papuan campaign began, ..More than a hundred American and Australian bombers and fighters harassed the closely-knit enemy positions, dropping more tnan 20,C00lbs of bombs and firing many thousands of rounds of cannon and machine-gun ammunition. Wave after wave of these attack planes struck principally at the Japanese positions in the Buna area.