STILL HARRIED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 January 1943, Page 3

STILL HARRIED

JAPANESE NEW GUINEA CONVOY Direct Hits On Two Retreating Ships SUCCESSFUL AIR ATTACKS IN DARKNESS MORE ENEMY AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN SYDNEY, January 11. Allied bombers continue to harry the remnants of the Japanese convoy fleeing north from Lae. Direct hits were scored on two vessels early on Sunday morning. It is not known whether warships or merchantmen were hit, since the attacks were made in darkness. ■ Flying Fortresses, Catalinas and Marauders struck the latest blow, the enemy ships being last sighted beyond Gasmata, 225 miles north-east of Lae, and apparently headed for Rabaul. Enemy air cover was greatly reduced as the convoy fled north, and our attacking bombers encountered only weak fighter opposition. In addition to the enemy’s heavy losses of aircraft reported yesterday, three Zeros were shot down and another probably destroyed.

JAPANESE LOSSES Japanese air losses throughout the South-West Pacific in these four days probably total 150 planes. It is not yet possible to estimate the number of Japanese troops and the amount of equipment" landed at Lae. Throe of the transports were certainly sunk before they could unload, but three more may have completed unloading when they received direct bomb hits which set them, on fire and destroyed two of them. Whether any merchant vessels left Lae Harbour with the six escorting warships is not revealed.

While attacks were continuing against enemy ships, other Allied bombers, with a fighter escort, maintained the offensive against the town and aerodrome area at Lae. Heavy damage is claimed by General MacArthur’s communique today, which says that large fires were started. An enemy fighter was destroyed on the ground. Wewak, Finschhafen and Madang were other enemy bases on the north New Guinea coast also bombed by our heavy units. HEAVY CHECK SUFFERED BY ENEMY DERANGEMENT OF OFFENSIVE PLANS. GROWTH OF ALLIED AIR POWER. NEW YORK. January 11. The Lae convoy is the most spectacular defeat that Japanese land-based planes have ever suffered, comments the “New York Times” in an editorial. The Japanese were trying to repeat the successful Channel manoeuvre in which the Gneisenau, the Scharnhorst and the Prinz Eugen reached Germany from Brest, but the convoy was spotted in time. This brilliant action indicates that our. growing ah’ power in the South Pacific is already dominant and should prove overwhelming. The action may seriously hamper Japanese offensive plans. The New York “Herald-Tribune says that Japanese plane losses are comparable to those in the bigger air battles in western Europe, and the magnitude of the defensive effort suggests how dangerous the loss of Lae and Salamaua would be to the entire Japanese position in the South-West Pacific. ALLIED GAIN ON APPROACH TO SANANANDA. FULL-SCALE ATTACKS LIKELY SOON. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, January 11. An Allied gain is reported in the land fighting against Sanananda. Our forward troops have occupied the village of Tarakina, at the mouth of an unnamed creek about lj> miles southeast of Sanananda Point. Forty Japanese were killed and a small Quantity of equipment captured. Full-scale attacks on the enemy s completely enveloped positions are expected at any time. SUCCESSFUL ATTACK MADE BY AMERICAN FORCES IN GUADALCANAL. ' ENEMY RESISTANCE WEAK. LONDON, January 11. In the Solomons, American troops on Guadalcanal advanced and gamed some ground after artillery had laid down a barrage and Dauntless divebombers and Airacobra fighters had followed up with bombing and strafing. The enemy resistance was described as weak. REPORTED MISSING AMERICAN AIR COMMANDER. LAST SEEN OVER RABAUL. SYDNEY, January 11. Brigadier-General Kenneth Walker, a commander in the Fifth American Air Force, is missing on air operations over Rabaul. He led the bombing raid which last week destroyed 11 Japanese ships in the harbour. His aircraft was last seen over the harbour area General Walker was one of 12 highranking Allied officers decorated by General MacArthur for their part in the Papuan campaign. BRITISH MISSION ’ STUDYING SOUTH PACIFIC TACTICS. MELBOURNE. January 11. Major-General R. H. Dewing is at present in Melbourne with a stan of British Army and R.A.F. officers as a British liaison mission here to study the lessons which can be learnt from South Pacific tactics. General Dewing said today that the American and Australian forces engaging the Japanese had accumulated valuable information of great interest to British and Indian military leaders. He said he felt that a British liaison staff on the spot when these reports were tabulated could learn a great deal of special value.

JAPANESE SHIPPING FAR SHORT OF NEEDS SOME DAMAGING ADMISSIONS IN TOKIO. WITH ALLIED OFFENSIVE ONLY BEGINNING. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) LONDON January 11. “Japan’s concern over her inability to provide ships for her ambitions is plain for all to see in recent writings and broadcasts from Tokio,” says a special correspondent of “The Times,” writing from India. “Japanese experts have declared that Japan must possess twenty million tons of shipping in order to construct and develop the so-called ‘co-prosperity sphere,’ which is another way of telling the Japanese that they cannot hope to exploit their conquests. A Tokio broadcast recently warned the Japanese that although Japan had occupied vast.areas rich in material resources, she cannot build up ‘a certain victorious and non-defeat war time structure’ unless she can use those resources, which in turn depends on her ability to find ships.” The correspondent continues that there is room enough and reason for these Japanese misgivings. Japan, it is believed, came into the war with less than 7,000,000 tons of merchant shipping, which is about one-third of what her experts now advance as the minimum requirements for victory. The first year cost her- one million tons definitely sunk by the Allies, and another million and a half probably sunk. Foreign estimates place Japan’s annual production of merchant shipping at 600.000 tons, which probably has been—reduced by the urgent needs for war-1, ships and heavy demands on docks for ship repairs. So it will be a long time before Japan reaches the target of twenty million tons. Not only is she hopelessly outmatched by British and American production figures, but, with the Allied offensive still only beginning, she is losing ground in the replacement of losses. People living under Japanese occupation know that the Japanese cannot spare ships for the transport of food and manufactures between the territories of her “Greater Far East.” There is a glut of rice in Burma and a glut of sugar in Java, with a dearth of both elsewhere, but all Japan can do is to tell these countries that they must become self-suffi-cient. HISTORIC STAGE IN THE PACIFIC WAR MACARTHUR AND HIS FORCES CONGRATULATED. MESSAGE FROM FEDERAL PRIME MINISTER. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) MELBOURNE This Day. The Federal Premier (Mr Cprtin) has sent the following message to General MacArthur: “The Order of the day issued by you in the concluding stage of the SouthWest New Guinea operations marks a notable historic stage in the Pacific war as the enemy was not only defeated in a further attempt to reach Port Moresby but suffered the destruction of the forces landed for that purpose. “I express to you your commanders and all ranks of the Australian and American forces” Mr Curtin added, “the thanks and admiration of the Australian people and Government for their magnificent services. The campaign was fought under most trying conditions, in one of the most difficult regions in the world. The forces under your command have not only overcome these immense natural difficulties, but also have decisively defeated a stubborn and tenacious foe. This campaign has been a demonstration of the comradeship in arms between forces of the United States of America and Australia which I am sure will continue until the common foe is totally defeated.”

ALLIED STRATEGY SOME COMMENTS IN LONDON. (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, January 11. The bombing of the Lae-bound convoy was followed with close interest in Britain. The “News-Chronicle,” commenting, made reference to President Roosevelt’s remark that the Allies in the Pacific thus far had pursued a "delaying strategy.” The “NewsChronicle” adds: "The present situation affords clear evidence that the Allies’ strategy is succeeding, it may be taken that for the time being both Australia and India are safe The re conquest of the territories which Japan has overrun should now go forward with gathering momentum” The ‘News-Chronicle” says well in formed London circles are of om’ninn that Japan at present is chiefly to hold on to her territorial gains and not to launch cut ? campaigns, but there are expected M be fierce attempts to losses in. the islands. etnexe her