DECISIVE DEFEAT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 February 1943, Page 3

DECISIVE DEFEAT

INFLICTED ON JAPANESE AT WAU THOUSANDS OF ENEMY CASUALTIES / INCLUDING NEARLY 1,000 DEAD. AUSTRALIAN LOSSES RELATIVELY LIGHT. ® (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, February 12. The decisive defeat of the Japanese forces which attacked Wau aerodrome in the New Guinea goldfields area is reported in General MacArthur’s conimunique today. The beaten enemy is now retiring toward Mubo, having left an additional 200 dead in the field. This brings the total of abandoned Japanese dead since the initiation of the unsucessful campaign on January 30 to nearly 1000.

Other enemy casualties are described in the communique as “probably many times as great.” Australian losses have been relatively light. . An Allied headquarters spokesman said today that total Japanese casualties, including wounded, would probably run into some thousands. It was apparent, therefore, that the Japanese had employed considerable strength in their attempt to take Wau. The spearhead of their drive was thought to have been an infantry regiment of about 2,800 men. In addition the enemy Siad supporting troops of undisclosed strength. They included engineers. The Australians, described by the Rome radio this week as “the doomed garrison of Wau,” have taken some prisoners. Our 25-pounder artillrey, transported to Wau by air, played a major role in driving back the Japanese, who had no adequate weapons with which to reply. Besides heavy troop casualties, the fortnight’s campaign in the Wau area cost the Japanese 26 aircraft destroyed and 15 probably destroyed. Following so close upon the defeats of Papua and Guadalcanal, 9the outcome of this battle is being regarded as having more than a mere local significance. It is thought that probably our troops are continuing to press home their advantage against the beaten, retreating enemy. Again on Thursday air operations in the South-West Pacific area were on a small scale. After a brief respite Rabaul was attacked in a two-hour harassing night raid made by a Fortress, whose bombs started fires near Lakunai airfield. The only other Allied air target was the area around the mouth of Waria River, which runs into the sea near Morobe, on the north coast of New Guinea. Japanese stragglers have been observed recently in this locality. A Catalina made bombing and strafing attacks without encountering opposition.