TRAPPED JAPANESE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1942, Page 3

TRAPPED JAPANESE

FRANTIC EFFORTS TO BREAK THROUGH .ALLIED NET DRAWN TIGHTER. DETAILS OF AIR CLASH. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, December 10. The trapoed Japanese Buna-Gona garrison are still making frantic efforts to break through the Allied net of encirclement which is steadily being drawn tight. On Wednesday night, the enemy at Gona tried to escape by fighting their way through our lines. They were forced back, leaving 95 y dead behind, after a grim battle. Allied troops, mostly Australians, are stated to have “mowed down” the advancing enemy. Later, a second clash in the same sector cost the Japanese a further 18 killed. Seven prisoners were taken. At Sanananda, Buna village, and Buna mission, the remaining three enemy strongpoints within the beachhead fortress, stubborn fighting continues. Today’s communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters indicates that the American forces in both Buna village and the airfield areas are making progress . The Allies are entrenched in two places at one end of the enemy air strip, while* the Japanese hold the opposite end. Our air forces continue to co-operate with the ground troops. Throughout Wednesday, Havocs and Marauders pounded the narrow enemy-occupied strip between the airfield and the sea. General headquarters today released the graphic details of a clash between Flying Fortresses and Liberators which were opposed to Zeros over the sea between New Britain and northern Papua. A fierce running fight saw 10 Zeros shot down, while four others were so badlv damaged that it is unlikely they reached their base. All our planes returned. The date of the action is not indicated by the communique, but it is possible that the air battle was part of the successful efforts made to drive back the latest enemy destroyer convoy headed toward Buna. This week the Japanese have lost 33 planes destroyed in the New Guinea area.