JUNGLE WARFARE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 November 1943, Page 3

JUNGLE WARFARE

NIGHT & DAY CONDITIONS NEW ZEALAND SOLDIER’S STORY LANDING ASSAULT ON PACIFIC ISLAND An informative account of an assault landing on an island occupied by the Japanese is given by a New Zealand artilleryman serving in the Pacific in a letter to his kinsfolk in Masterton. He writes: — I am at present relaxing and taking the waters at a little seaside beach after ten days or so of strenuous endeavour against the Jap. We landed on this island some days ago and although there are still a few small groups of Japs about, all organised resistance has ceased and it is only a matter of time until they are all eventually rooted out. Although this was a comparatively small show it was an important part of large-scale operations in this area and it was essential that our particular venture be a success. We left our last base before dawn one morning in convoy escorted by destroyers and with air cover. We travelled in sea-going barges all that day and night and made our assault landing just after dawn the following morning. The most trying part of the show was waiting below decks in the dark waiting for our barge to hit the beach, with guns going lickety split over our heads and us wondering whether we would stop any of tlje stuff that was flying around before we landed. FOLLOWING THE INFANTRY. “We were in the second wave, landing about 15 minutes after the infantry. who had pushed straight inland to form a defensive perimeter. In their haste they overran several Jap strongpoints, snipers, etc., and we stopped a lot of nasty stuff, mainly mortars and mountain guns, for some time. Oui’ casualties were heavier than anticipated and although, by all the rules of the game, I should have been collected a couple of times, am pleased to report that I came through without a scratch. It was my lucky day and I am satisfied now that there is no Jap bullet with my number on it. Which is a very comforting thought. As part of the 0. Pip party, we joined up with the forward infantry the first day and have been with them ever since. “The Japs are particularly hot scones with their mortars. They are very accurate and have far too much punch for comfort —4-inch stuff I think. At night we had to put up with a lot of bombing and strafing from the air and on one occasion were shelled from the sea. So we had damn all rest or sleep for some nights and were pretty well tuckered out after a few days of that. NOISES AT NIGHT. “At the moment we are holding a small native village on the coast and it is a treat to get out of the jungle for a while and get some of the grime, mud and slush of the last few days off our clothing and bodies. The jungle noises at night have to be heard to be believed. Things are comparatively quiet during the day but with the night all the animal life tunes up and is soon going full bore. It sounds like all the farmyard, noises that ever were combined with a few buzz saws and the like. They gradually peter out with the dawn and all is still and quiet again. We bed down in fox holes every night of course, and apart from possible Japs sneaking in on us, our main worry is land crabs. They keep falling in on us all night and claw madly to get out. “We have taken a few prisoners—mostly young, small, nuggety types in pretty good nick. They are all Marines and to give them credit, pretty staunch fighters. Even so they have, contrary to expectation, been quite willing to spill the beans and give useful information about their cobbers still at large. You would be interested in their rifle. Lightly built, it weighs about 61bs, .301 calibre, and takes the Springfield .300 ‘ammo’ quite well. It has a built-in cleaning rod and also a useful collapsible wire rest on the fore grip. The sight is excellent—a triangular aperture and small blade foresight. All in all a pretty handy weapon for this type of warfare. A knife and a machete, which most of us carry, are about our most useful accessories. . .