MORE POSITIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 December 1942, Page 3

MORE POSITIONS

STORMED BY THE ALLIES IN NEW GUINEA EMPLOYMENT OF TANKS. COMES AS STUNNING SURPRISE TO ENEMY. LONDON, December 22. In New Guinea, Allied troops have stormed several more Japanese strongpoints and captured one of the main enemy airstrips. The spokesman at the Allied headquarters said today, a Sydney correspondent reports, that the advance is proving “a tough proposition.” Thir-teen-ton American-built General Stuart tanks manned by Australian crews, which arc playing the main part in smashing the defences, • were responsible for capturing a new air-strip which was built by the enemy as an extension of the Buna airfield some months ago, but which was never used. They have now driven a wedge into the more powerful defences protecting the second air-strip. Though classed as a light tank, the General Stuarts have proved heavy enough to crush Japanese pillboxes and log stockades which had withstood several weeks or aerial and artillery bombardment. Their 37-millimetre cannon and machine-guns blasted the enemy strongpoints at point-blank range. The use of'tanks by the Allies came as a stunning surprise to the Japanese, who had evidently believed it was impossible to transport heavy armoured fighting vehicles to the fortress area or to employ them there on the swampy ground. The enemy have had no anti-tank guns, but they quickly overcame their bewilderment and attempted to burn' out the tanks with flame-throwers similar to those which were captured at Milne Bay in August. Their efforts were entirely without success. Some of the Japanese jumped on the sides of tanks and tried to shoot the crews through the vision slits, but they were speedily disposed of by the supporting Allied infantry, and it was the infantry with bayonets, tommyguns, and grenades who did the actual monoing up after the tanks had driven the Japanese into the open. “TACTICAL’ MASTERPIECE.” “The unexpected use of tanks as a truly secret weapon was a tactical masterpiece,” writes the Sydney “Sun’s” New Guinea war correspondent. “Without them the 1500 yards advance would have been much more costlv in Allied casualties.” While the Americans are attacking the remaining enemy strongpoints in the airfield area, the Australians are advancing against Buna mission, which is 3000 yards away, and is protected by heavy defences. Havocs, supporting this operation, dropped more than 200 fragmentation bombs on the Japanese positions While heavy casualties have been inflicted on the enemy, the Allied gains of the past few days have not been cheaply made, and there have, been many instances of fanatical resistance by small groups of Japanese. _ The enemy have used all their old tricks. When a “Life” magazine photographer leaned over a trench to snap a Japanese victim of our advance he heard a shot. It had been fired by one of a nearby group of Americans, when they saw the allegedly dead Japanese sit up. One little enemy private gave himself up quite cheerfully, but he was the sole exception, and then a Japanese sniper attempted to shoot his surrendering compatriot. In the Gona sector our patrols are active. Near the Amboga River they have released 2000 Rabaul natives who had been brought into Papua as carriers. ■ :

CAUTIOUS VIEW

TAKEN IN AUSTRALIA & AMERICA. JAPANESE EXPECTED TO TRY AGAIN. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, December 22. Warnings against over-estimating the importance of the recent Allied gains in Papua have been given by several authorities. The Australian Army Minister, Mt Forde, declared that though the Japanese had been checked in their southward, drive and had suffered considerable losses all the indications were that they would come back in strength at the Allies in the SouthWest Pacific. It was doubtful it the l u ,point in the war against Japan in this theatre had yet been reached. Mr Forde revealed that the Australian Army is now nearing its maximum strength. , .. _ “General MacArthur's dramatic Papuan drive gives the Allies merely tactical advantages,” says the “New York Times” Washington correspondent, Charles Hurd, “but unless.it is followed up by a northward drive it would not constitute a real victory. Our only achievement is the seizing of the initiative,” he declared. . “However, the Allied successes in tlie South Pacific did make possible General Wavell’s attack in Burma.”