USEFUL ISLAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 August 1943, Page 3

USEFUL ISLAND

SEIZED BY AMERICANS IN SOLOMONS 350 JAPANESE SURPRISED & TAKEN PRISONER. ADDED THREAT TO ENEMY SUPPLY LINE. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, August 17. American forces have seized Vella Lavella Island, in the central Solomons, capturing about 350 .Japanese soldiers and sailors. The occupation, to which no resistance has been reported, endangers the supply line serving the enemy garrisons on nearby Kolonibangara Island and at Bairoko Harbour, New Georgia.

This surprise Allied move sandwiches Kolombangara between two hostile coasts—Vella Lavella and New Georgia, Kolombangara, with its fighter airfield, at Villa, had been popularly suggested as the possible next AL lied objective in the. Solomons chain. The Americans landed at Vella Lavella on Sunday, and reports received at General MacArthur’S head-quarters make no mention of organised resistance The prisoners captured included survivors from the Vella Gulf naval battle on the night of August 6, when American surface units intercepted and destroyed an enemy cruiser and three large destroyers. Other prisoners taken were apparently attempting to flee from Villa. The Japanese leaving Kolombangara must now run the gauntlet of Allied naval interception from Vella Lavella. So far as is known, there are no airstrips on Vella Lavella, but its occupation as well as placing the Allies north of Kolombangara, brings our forces 45 miles nearer to the Japanese bases in the northern Solomons.

heavy DEEFAT SUFFERED BY JAPANESE. IN AIR BATTLE OVER NEW GUINEA SYDNEY, August 17. The Japanese Air Force yesterday met defeat in a 25-minute battle over Watut Valley in New Guinea. Allied fighters attacked 25 enemy dive-bomb-ers and fighters about 40 miles southwest of Lae. Twelve Japanese machines were shot down and two others probably destroyed. We lost one plane. On Sunday, over the same locality, Airacobras shot down 14 enemy machines.

As a result of a general Allied ground advance near Tambu Bay, American and Australian troops now control the bitterly-contested Roosevelt Ridge, about five track miles south of Salamaua. The Japanese left more than 200 dead behind when the position was captured after fierce fighting. Five enemy barges were destroyed or damaged by Catalinas in a sweep along the north New Guinea epast. Beaufighters attacked a small cargo ship in Jacquinot Bay, New Britain, and a large barge in Wide Bay, New Britain. Both were left unserviceable. A single enemy plane dropped five bombs in the Broome area of Western Australia yesterday. They caused neither damage nor casualties. The last raid on Broome was on August 27. 1942. BOMBED AGAIN OIL REFINERY AT BALIK PAPAN. SYDNEY; August 17. Following Saturday’s flight of 2500 miles, made by the Liberators attacking Balik Papan, in Borneo, other Liberators on a reconnaissance mission yesterday again attacked oil storage tanks, starting fires which were still smouldering. A 6000-ton oil tanker in the harbour was set ablaze. The Liberators definitely destroyed four of six intercepting Zeros, probably destroyed a fifth, and damaged the last. • Before Balik Papan fell to the Japanese early last year, it was one of the world’s three main oil refinery centres. The only larger refineries were at Aruba, in the West Indies, and possibly Bayonne, in New Jersey,' United States. Installations at Balik Papan wrecked by the Duch included 250 oil storage tanks, each of 100,000 tons capacity.