JAPANESE MASSING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 April 1943, Page 3

JAPANESE MASSING

NORTH OF AUSTRALIA STATEMENT BY HEADQUARTERS SPOKESMAN. REGARDING COMING BATTLE. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April 21. Heavy Japanese reinforcements in both combat aircraft and ground troops continue to arrive at enemy bases to the north of Australia. The presence of this menacing enemy strength is a dominant factor in the consideration of the Allied High Comihand on “the coming battle” in this theatre.

This was indicated today by the spokesman at General MacArthur s headquarters. The use of the phase “the coming battle” is an implication of the official belief in the inevitability of severe fighting in the SouthWest Pacific. The spokesman officially answered a volume of requests by war correspondents to reconcile the Allied victories in the South-West Pacific with the repeated warnings of increasing Japanese threats to Australia’s ityHis statement read: “The question has been raised why, in view of the splendid successes our forces have achieved here during the past year, the situation is becoming more menacing on the Australian front. The answer is very simple. “The enemy has been bringing forward heavy reinforcements of both ground and air components with great rapidity. It is our hope that our. forces will grow to match his. “Our successes in the past are, unfortunately, not the compelling factor in the coming battle. This campaign, as is always the case in war, will be won in the future, not in the past.” Asked whether the use of the term “Australian front” implied an imminent invasion threat to the continent, the spokesman answered that the reference was to the South-West Pacific area generally. The factors involved in this warning were the same as in the previous warnings of the growing Japanese strength. Asked if the officiallyexpressed hope that the Allied forces would match those of the enemy meant that additional Allied strength was on the way, the spokesman said that nothing could be added to recent statements by the United States Secretary of War, Mr Stimson, about increased aid for this theatre.

The reference to a matching of strength also raised consideration of the ground forces available to the Allies for action against the enemy. It was pointed out that of the men in uniform a large proportion was necessarily absorbed in the services of supply, fixed defences and lines of communiation, while an battle the important factor was the number of fully-armed equipped and trained men that could be put into the field to fight. GENERAL BLAMEY’S WARNING The Commander-in-Chief of the Allied land forces in the South-West Pacific, General Blarney, has warned the troops in Australia’s north to be ready for surprise enemy action. General Blarney is on a 6000-mile air tour of the advanced northern areas. His tour is officially described as a “tight-ening-up defence inspection.” LARGE VESSEL DESTROYED

BLOWN UP IN WEWAK HARBOUR,

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, April 21.

Japanese shipping in the harbour at Wewak, the main enemy base, on the north New Guinea coast, has again been under attack by Allied heavy bombers. In a raid made early yesterday morning a 6000-ton merchantman was sunk. The Allied communique says that three direct hits and six near misses were scored with 5001 b. bombs on the ship, which was apparently loaded with fuel. The vessel exploded violently, was completely enveloped in flames,