ENEMY DEFENCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1943, Page 3

ENEMY DEFENCES

STORMED BY THE ALLIES IN PAPUA JAPANESE FOOTHOLD NOW VERY SMALL. AIR OFFENSIVE CONTINUED IN STRENGTH. LONDON, January 19. In New Guinea, Australian and American troops have stormed and taken Sanananda village ami Sanananda point and have split the remaining ’ Japanese forces into small groups holding limited areas. The air offensive continues in strength, with raids on Japanese ships and bases. ENEMY SHIP SUNK IN BISMARCK SEA. FURTHER AIR ATTACK ON RABAUL. (Special Australian Correspondent) SYDNEY, January 19. New gains in the Sanananda area and the sinking of an 8000-ton Japanese merchantman in the Bismarck Sea are reported in General MacArthur’s communique today. The vessel was attacked by our heavy bombers north of New Ireland. It received two direct hits, burst into flames and sank within eight minutes. Liberators made a further attack on the Japanese shipping concentrating at Rabaul, but glare from searchlights prevented observation of the results. Our air offensive yesterday were on the recent broad scale, covering several enemy bases. The Japanese defensive positions at Sanananda are being steadily reduced, Australian troops yesterday captured Cape Killerton* and. Wye Point in a drive along the coast. FIERCE LAND FIGHTING. A steady increase in the tempo of the Allied land offensive has been evident during the past week. On Sunday American infantrymen split the Japanese defenders of the Sanananda area into three isolated pockets, which may be liquidated singly. This success was qquickly followed up, but fierce fighting took place before Killerton and Wye were cleared of the enemy. The first position is about 1700 yards from the sea terminal of the Sanananda trail, and second 700 yards nearer this objective. The remaining divided Japanese positions total not more than 2500 yards in length, and this is also their greatest depth. It is apparent that the Allied offensive to root out the last enemy troops in Papua is now well under way. The “Sydney Sun’s” correspondent today describes the Japanese defences in the Killerton <area as among the most elaborate he has seen. “It was like an underground village," he writes “and had trenches radiating for big distances from central pill-boxes in which the Japanese lived. It commanded excellent fields of fire and was a model fortress.” More land fighting has occurred round Mubbo, 15 miles inland from Salamaua, where .Australian jungle troops last week made the heavy raid in which they killed more than 250 Japanese and destroyed a headquarters building and a radio station. Forty more casualties were inflicted on the enemy in the recent skirmishes, while our attack planes, supporting the jungle troops, made strafing runs along the trail from Salamaua to Komiatum. Strong forces of Beaufighters and Mitchell medium bombers again raided Lae, which is the target of daily attacks. An enemy fighter on the ground was destroyed and fires were started among supply dumps and installations. Targets at Madang and Finschhafen and the aerodrome at Gasmata were again raided. BRAVE ABORIGINE 1 MANY JAPANESE KILLED IN PAPUA. VENGEANCE TAKEN FOR DEATH OF FRIEND. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) SYDNEY, January 19. An aborigine, Private Harold West, fought a one-man war of vengeance against the Japanese in Papua after his best friend was killed near Kokoda. How many Japanese he killed is not known, but the number musjt be high. West died recently from scrub typhus. He is believed to have been recommended for a high decoration. A member of the Australian battalion which saw service in the Middle East and Ceylon, West went to New Guinea last September. He was a jolly, well-built man, but the death of his friend in October affected him deeply. Then he would load his pockets with grenades, leave his rifle and equipment behind and go stalking Japanese machine-gun posts. He is known to have wiped out at least three heavy machine-gun nests in the couise of these solitary operations. Sometimes he would be away from his unit for.as long as two days, but he always managed to get back unwounded. He would say little about his exploits.