GONA AREA CLEARED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1942, Page 3

GONA AREA CLEARED

SUCCESS BY ALLIED FORCES IN PAPUA Japanese Confined to Buna Sector ENEMY THREAT FROM TIMOR INCREASING HOSTILE ACTIVITY NOTED CANBERRA, December 10. Allied forces have now completely occupied the Gona area in Papua, the Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, announced to the House of Representatives this afternoon. The Japanese are thus pinned to a narrow strip in the Buna area about 12 miles southeast of Gona. s Australian battle casualties in New Guinea to December 1 were 2190 and of these 640 were killed in action, or died of wounds. Mr Curtin warned the House of the long, grim struggle ahead and declared that the next Japanese threat will come from Timor, where there are signs of increasing hostile activity. Enemy submarines were active in the Indian Ocean, he added, and Australia must be prepared to repulse all air and seaborne attacks on the north-west. In the first days of the Pacific war, the decision by Mr Churchill and President Roosevelt that Germany must be defeated first had been reached before Singapore fell. Australia was then required to hold grimly as a base till the Pacific offensive was timed in the global strategy. Denying that the Australian Government felt rebuffed at the over-riding of strategic decisions concerning the South-West Pacific, Mr Curtin declared: “Mr Churchill and President Roosevelt wefle unable fully to accept the views of the Australian Government on Pacific strategy, and the provision of the force and supplies sought. However, they gave certain assurances and practical support for which the Government is deeply grateful, and it felt bound to accept thier conclusions in the spirit of united comradeship.’’