POUNDED AGAIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 January 1943, Page 3

POUNDED AGAIN

JAPANESE AIRFIELD IN NEW GUINEA SMALL-SCALE ACTIONS IN GUADALCANAL. SEVERAL ENEMY OUTPOSTS ISOLATED. LONDON, January 13. American Marauder bombers, with fighter escort, gave the Japanese airfield at Munda, in New Georgia, yet another pounding. Japanese ground defences came into action but not a single enemy fighter was seen. AH the American machines returned to their base.

A lone Japanese aircraft dropped bombs near Guadalcanal, in the enemy’s first attack for a month. On land, the Americans are still fighting small-scale actions against Japanese outposts on Guadalcanal and several of these have been isolated. ALLIED PROGRESS IN THE ISLAND CAMPAIGNS. SLOW BUT CUMULATIVE. (British Official Wireless.) SYDNEY, January 13. There is nd fresh news of the movements of' Japanese warships in the south Pacific, but it is reported that American troops on Guadalcanal have consolidated and improved their positions to such an extent that 20,000 enemy troops cornered on the island will starve if their warships are unable to break the Allied blockade. American reinforcement convoys have been arriving at Guadalcanal at the rate of almost one each week, and an early offensive against the trapped Japanese is predicted. United States’ air raids in the Solomons, principally against Munda, inflicted considerable damage on points where Japanese relief forces were believed to be massing. The New York “Times” Washington correspondent says that it is not revealed whether the damage is sufficient to upset enemy plans for a drive in force against Allied positions in the South Pacific. The Americans on Guadalcanal now hold a strip of coastline 18 miles long and four to five miles deep —almost double the area held two months ago. This puts the Henderson airfield out of range of Japanese artillery and minimises the risk of a surprise attack. SOME GAINS IN PAPUA. Allied troops waiting to launch a full-scale attack to annihilate the remnants of the Japanese Papuan army at Sanananda have made further small gains. Our forces appear intent on winning positions on which to base the final assault in this attenuated campaign. . While guns are shelling the Japanese fortress area, Allied infantrymen have been active in offensive patrolling and sniping operations. The reigning snip- 1 ing champion is Lieutenant D. Murray, who before the war was a Victorian fruit farmer. In a few days’ sniping, he has killed at least 21 Japanese for the expenditure of 36 shots. Murray has built his own camouflaged firing position within range of the Japanese unit headquarters. His activities have forced the enemy to add to their earthworks in the area by constructing communication trenches as a protection against his deadly rifle. Allied fighters and attack planes made sweeps along the northern New Guinea coast near the Amboga River and Salamaua. Our heaviest air attack in the past 24 hours, however, was in Timor, where Beaufighters raided new Japanese aerodrome installations at Fuiloro. They strafed hutments, construction equipment and motor vehicles. One enemy fighter was destroyed on the ground. The fifth Japanese raid in a fortnight on Merauke, on the south-east coast of Dutch New Guinea, was made on Tuesday by nine bombers. Only slight damage was done. The enemy has taken a great interest recently in this Allied base, which had little prewar commercial importance. Resin, cattle and crocodile hides were the main cargoes shipped through the port.

HIGH TRIBUTE TO MACARTHUR. High tribute to General MacArthur’s conduct of the war against the Japanese in the south-west Pacific is paid by the New York “Daily Mirror,” which says editorially: “General MacArthur knows more about the organisation of the war, more about the Japanese and more about the full and unhampered use of air power than anyone else we have got. Future military text-books will mark the New Guinea campaign as the turning-point in the concept of the war in which we applied the lessons of Crete. “General MacArthur, without naval support, transported and supplied his large army largely by air, at the same time destroying 353 Japanese aircraft, 19 warships and 89 merchantmen. Our greatest fighting general recognises the new’ element in warfare—the self-suf-ficient element of air power. Congress should have his full testimony when it considers overhauling our motheaten organisation for waging total war.”

FIVE bombs DROPPED BY JAPANESE ON GUADALCANAL. ONE MAN KILLED & SEVERAL WOUNDED. (Received This Day, 10.50 a.m.) WASHINGTON, January 13. A Navy Department communique states: “On Monday an enemy plane dropped five bombs on United States positions south-westward of the airfield on Guadalcanal. The casualties were one killed and several wounded. Today a force of Marauder medium bombers, escorted by Airacobras and Lightnings, bombed the Japanese airfield at Munda. Air opposition was not encountered, but anti-aircraft batteries were active. The results have not been reported. All the United States planes returned. Small-scale offensive operations, against enemy Outposts on Guadalcanal are progressing satisfactorily. Several small enemy positions have been isolated.”