DEVELOPING WELL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 September 1943, Page 4

DEVELOPING WELL

MOVEMENT AGAINST LAE SIMULTANEOUS DRIVE TO CAPTURE SALAMAUA. ALLIED AIR SUPERIORITY DEMONSTRATED. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The Australian troops who landed north of the Japanese-occupied base of Lae on the north coast of New Guinea at dawn on Saturday, have already pushed eight to ten miles in the direction of Lae. Simultaneously, Allied forces launched an all-out drive to capture Salamaua, 17 miles south of Lae. These two operations have caught the Japanese in a pincer movement which is developing rapidly. The Australians at Lae are meeting little opposition and the bridgeheads have been steadily extended. The capture of Lae would leave the enemy with only one major base in the eastern half of New Guinea—Wewak—which, with the forward base at Madang,. has been built up only since last December. Both bases have been heavily pounded by Allied bombers. Lae’s only remaining link with northern New Guinea is the tortuous Markham River Valley trail. The Allied air forces provided an overwhelming umbrella for the landing and the enemy air opposition was negligible. In. a brief hit and run attack, four Zeros and four bombers damaged two barges, causing 30 casualties, but the main .Japanese force sent to hamper the landing was intercepted, and, in a battle in the vicinity of Morobe, about 70 miles south-east of Lae, the enemy lost 21 planes. The biggest air clash was on Saturday afternoop, when a force of Lightning fighters swooped down on a numerically stronger enemy formation of 25 toi 35 Zeros and five dive-bombers. Thirteen of the Zeros were shot down.

WENT LIKE CLOCKWORK THE AUSTRALIAN LANDING. ENEMY CAUGHT NAPPING. (Received This Day, 12.10 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The landing of the Australians was one of the greatest achievements of the A.I.F. in this war, says a war correspondent, its execution was faultless, and as a synchronised operation, in which all three offensive arms were used, it may go down as one of this waHs classics. “Everything went like clockwork. As the great green barges, beached and opened the jaws of their snub bows, columns of green-clad Australians filed down the gang-planks. Within threequarters of an hour the beach presented an unbelievable sight. The barges hqd disgorged bulldozers, caterpillar tractors, road graders, trucks loaded with heaps of construction implements, anti-aircraft guns and artillery pieces. The bulldozers had pushed rough tracks through the jungle fringing the beach, engineers had laid down strips of iron mesh for the use of the heavy equipment trucks, which were trundling alpng the beach and fording the Buso River, and jeeps were hauling artillery pieces. Anti-aircraft positions had been established and soldiers were hastening to discharge huge quantities of ammunition and supplies. Loud-speak-er systems were already in operation, giving directions to those ashore and those coming ashore. Portable hospitals were busy in the background, attending to men with light wounds. The only signs of opposition from the enemy had been a feeble burst of antiaircraft fire half an hour after our first troops landed, and a hit and run raid by six planes. Otherwise the Japanese appeared to have been caught completely by surprise. The blotv against' Lae was perfectly timed. This is a dry part of the season in the Lae area, and the rivers, which in winter might prove serious obstacles, are now very low and easily forded. Heavy aerial attacks against Wewak and adjacent enemy bases, which forced the enemy to move their" main base back to Hollandia, on the far north New Guinea coast, have reduced their ability to defend Lae with an air umbrella. Aircraft flying from Hollandia run the risk of being shot down by our superior forces before they reach Lae. The third point about the time factor is that the blow against Lae had been launched at the very moment when the enemy had been expecting it at Salamaua. The reinforcements he sent into this area in recent weeks were a definite pointer to his belief that our main assault was to be against Salamaua.