GROWING WEAKER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 July 1943, Page 3

GROWING WEAKER

THE JAPANESE DEFENCE OF MUNDA MOST GUNS OUT OF ACTION. NO REINFORCEMENTS GETTING THROUGH. LONDON, July 22. lii the Solomons, United States forces are closing in on Munda, the Japanese base in New Georgia. Most of the Japanese guns are now out of action and no reinforcements are getting through. Japanese resistance is steadily deteriorating. Desperate counter-attacks by the trapped Japanese garrison at Munda, in an attempt to break through the encircling Allied ring, have been repulsed with heavy losses, an Australian special correspondent reports. No detailed reports are yet available of this action, which is reported in General MacArthur's communique today. In the final stages of the Papuan campaign, similar efforts to smash through the Allied lines were made by the trapped and starving Japanese troops.

HEAVY AIR ASSAULT. Nine miles north of Munda, enemy positions at Bairoko Harbour have been blasted by the heaviest air assault yet made in the South or South-West Pacific areas. More than 150 Mitchell medium bombers, Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo-bombers, with a strong fighter cover, made sorties over the target area. The attacks lasted throughout the day. This record air action supported a United States ground assault on the Japanese northern New Guinea strongpoint which was formerly a supply and reinforcement base for the Munda garrison. The Japanese have already been beaten on New Georgia, though it may take a fortnight or longer to destroy the last elements of resistance says a war correspondent in the Solomons. By a frontal assault, the Americans could have captured Munda in one day, just as they took Guadalcanal, claims the correspondent. This, however, would have scattered the Japanese garrison into the surrounding bush, involving a long mopping-up campaign. It was therefore decided to surround Munda and pin the enemy within its perimeter defences. Illustrating the Allied air supremacy over New Georgia, the correspondent says that recently the Japanese have been sending fighters ahead of their bombers to scout for American fighters. If our fighters are in thp air, the entire enemy band scurries off. General MacArthur’s communique reports that at Vella Lavella “our fighters attacked and set on fire in Pakoi Bay two enemy barges loaded with oil.”

NOTABLE AIR VICTORY GAINED BY ALLIED FORCES IN NEW GUINEA. (Special Australian Correspondent.) , SYDNEY, July 22. Nineteen Japanese fighters were destroyed and 11 more probably destroyed in another smashing Allied air victory over New Guinea yesterday Only two Allied planes were lost, one of the pilots being , saved. The Lightning fighters which scored this notable success were escorting a large formation of Mitchell bombers making low altitude attacks on the aerodrome buildings and enemy-occu-pied areas at Madang. They were intercepted by a force of Japanese twin-engined bombers escorted by more than 20 Zeros. The Allied raid on Madang followed the blasting of supply dumps in the area on Tuesday with 30 tons of high explosives. It is now reported that in Tuesday’s raid the span of the Golgo River bridge, on the coastal highway between Madang and Lae, was destroyed. Two other bridges were also attacked. Allied troops still hold the slopes of Mount Tambu, near Komiatum, in spite of further determined Japanese coun-ter-attacks. The enemy has sustained 282 known casualties in assaults against our positions. At least 10 such enemy counter-attacks have now been made since July 16. In the Buigap Valley, on the jungle trail to the Komiatum supply base, 300 fresh Japanese graves b ave been discovered. The bodies are probably those of troops killed in the Allied air attacks which ‘preceded the capture of Mubo. Other raids in New Guinea yesterday were on Finschhafen and Lae where Marauders bombed and strafed barges and the jetty area near Voco Point. Nine enemy bombers, with a fighter escort, made an afternoon raid on Bulolo, but no damage is reported.