USE OF TANKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 December 1942, Page 4

USE OF TANKS

AGAINST THE JAPANESE AT BUNA GENERAL STUARTS SMASHING THROUGH DEFENCES. FOLLOWED UP CLOSELY BY INFANTRY. LONDON, December 21. In New Guinea the Australians and American,s are using tanks for the first time in assaults on the main positions of the Japanese at Buna. The enemy’s defensive system is a complicated one of strongpoints connected by tunnels ’ and the tanks—American General Stuarts—are blasting a way through the enemy pillboxes. Infantry are following up closely,. Tanks, are smashing the way for a large-scale Allied infantry advance against the important Buna airfield, a special Australian correspondent reports. This is the strategic prize- of the Japanese Papuan beach-head fortress and is protected by a. strong chain of steel-capped pillboxes, underground dug-outs and barricaded trenches. The enemy position is stated to be deteriorating. Our artillery and mortar fire are also pounding the area, Allied occupation of which would; leave only the Sanananda salient to. be reduced. th the advance already made the Allies have, captured considerable equip-, ment, including machine-guns and grenade. dischargers. No details of our casualties have been announced, but the enemy is reported to have suffered heavy losses, both at Buna and in the earlier battle, for Cape Endiadere. Endiadere is revealed to have fallen to a combined; American-Australian force, after storming attacks on Friday. Scores of Japanese were, cut down by mortar blasts, and machine-gun fire as they fled after being driven, out of foxholes and larger and more elaborately planned underground defences. Some emplacements, had walls four feet thick. All were linked by a labyrinth, of communication tunnels so that if an attack at one point became too severe the occupants could move back v to other fire points. AN HOUR OF BATTLE. The enemy strength in the Endiadere area at the time of the Allied assault has been reckoned at 600 men. An artillery and mortar barrage at dawn, in which about 600 shells were fired on the enemy positions, preceded our ini fantry attack. Within an hour, Japanese defences- about 700 yards in depth had been overran, but some enemy strongpoints continued to resist throughout the day. In the afternoon, when our moppingup operations had been completed, the ■ Japanese launched a. counter-attack, but were driven back. Their resistance was as fanatical as ever. “Dead” men rose to fight and refused to surrender. Some committed suicide. The occupation of the Cape Endiadere area paved the way for the present Allied assault on Buna mission and the air strip where, the Japanese are stated to be in “sizeable force.” The enemy’s ; Endiadere defences had hitherto covered Allied flanking movements against the Buna salient. N.o additional reports have been issued on the Japanese, convoy believed to. have landed troops, at Madang and Einchhafen on Friday night, but Liberators destroyed a warehouse in the first Allied bombing raid reported on Madang. When eight Zeros attempted interception, two, were shot down.

JAPANESE COMMANDER KILLED.

Lieutenant-General Tomatore Horii, Japanese command,er in. New Guinea, is' reported to ha,ve been killed, in action in Buna. This is announced, a Sydney message, states, in General MacArthur’s communique today. The date of his death is : not given. The first official report that General Horii was in personal charge pf the Japanese forces in Papua was made in an Allied communique on Noyember ’l6. He was an expert in .landing operations, and. is known, to. have been the. planner and organiser behind many ofthe Japanese conquests in the Pacific, including Wake Island, Guam, Rabaul, Lae and Salamaua.

SPLENDID , EXAMPLE

SET' BY TANK UNIT IN FIRST ACTION. (Received This Day, 11.0 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. Commenting on the use of tanks in New Guinea, the Army Minister (Mr Forde) said the G.O.C. had informed headquarters that the first action of the tank: unit; reflected the, 'greatest credit upon, all- concerned, and upon the training they had carried out. The G-Q-.Q. said the unit set a splendid example. of gallantry and. efficiency. “This, encouraging message,” Mr Forde said, “will serve as a great incentive to other armoured formations in Australia, the members, of which are so anxious to. get an opportunity to , serve in a forward operational area.”