MOPPING-UP STAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1943, Page 4

MOPPING-UP STAGE

REACHED IN PAPUA FOUR ISOLATED POCKETS. BEING ATTACKED VIGOROUSLY. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.15 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The Allied campaign in Papua has reached its final mopping-up stage. A special announcement from General MacArthur's Headquarters reports the capture of Sanananda village and Sanananda point, key positions in the Japanese beach-head. A three-pronged attack by Australian troops penetrated these last enemy defences. Four isolated pockets of Japanese continue to resist, but each pocket is being enveloped and vigorously attacked. I ' The announcement from General MacArthur's Headquarters said: “Continuing the aggressive action which started on Sunday, Sanananda village and Sanananda point were captured on Monday and our forward elements have reached Giruwa (east of Sanananda). On the coast the enemy is restricted to a small pocket 500 yards north-west of the motor road terminal, and the area between Giruwa and Tarakena (a village further east, from which American troops are attacking). Inland, two more pockets are under attack.” The Australian main drive, through coconut groves and jungle swamps, to the kernel of the enemy defences at Sanananda itself, took two days. In the advance a small pocket of resistance was by-passed in the coastal sector, about 500 yards north-west of the Soputa trail beach terminal. Detachments were left behind to root out the Japanese in this pocket. The Australians then moved swiftly on, to capture Sanananda village and Sanananda point. The enemy casualties have not so far been reported, but in earlier fighting at Cape Killerton they were heavy. Attacks against the disorganised enemy are now being made wherever they are encountered, says the “Sydney Morning Herald” war correspondent. When they are mopped up the epilogue to the Papuan campaign may be said to have been written. “All the remaining Japanese pockets can be attacked from at least two sides,” the correspondent adds. “The enemy groups are cut off from ammunition and supply dumps, while those inland have no’ hopes of escape by sea. To get away they must plough through deep malarial swamps on each side of the main trail.

■’ “Although they are well dug in behind prepared positions, the fate of these Japanese defenders is inevitable,” writes the “Sydney Daily Telegraph” war correspondent. “Unless they surrender, they will be annihilated. With the destruction of the Sananda garrison, the only Japanese left in Papua will be a few stragglers along the north-west coas"t, around the Kumasi River estuary. These are being rounded up and killed by our patrols pushing out from Gona.”