BIG FORCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 December 1943, Page 4

BIG FORCE

LANDED AT CAPE GLOUCESTER UNDER POWERFUL AIR & NAVAL COVER ENEMY OPPOSITION BEATEN DOWN (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.25 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The United States Marines who landed at Cape Gloucester, in New Britain, at dawn on Sunday included veterans who fought in the Guadalcanal battles last year. The American invasion force was much larger than that which landed at Arawe (65 miles south-east of Cape Gloucester) 13 days ago.

The covering naval force, which included units of the Royal Australian Navy, was one of the largest concentrations of warships ever seen in the South-West Pacific. No effective ground opposition was encountered .on the beaches and there was only slight enemy resistance in adjacent inland areas. The Japanese are known to have had a large force at Cape Gloucester, but contact with these troops has not yet been made by the Americans. The main American invasion force landed at Silimati Point, about three miles east of Cape Gloucester, where the Japanese have an airfield. Our troops are now driving towards this field. A subsidiary landing force went ashore a few miles west of the cape. Other Allied troops landed on Long Island, in Vitiaz Strait, 35 miles north of the Huon Peninsula, on New Guinea. Heavy clouds assisted . the movement of the invasion force, screening our ships from enemy air reconnaissance. A heavy naval barrage was maintained throughout the landing operations. The Japanese offered no resistance from the air until late in the afternoon, when a big formation of dive-bombers attacked. Only a few of the attackers penetrated bur screening fighters, which shot down 46 of the enemy planes. When a second wave of enemy planes came over, a further 15 were shot down.

General MacArthur, who announced the landing in a special communique from his New Guinea Headquarters last night, is supervising the operations. The ground forces are under the command of Lieutenant-General Walter Kreuger, of the Sixth United States Army, with Major-General AV. H. Rupertus commanding the forward elements of the Marine forces. Vice-Ad-miral Thomas Kinkaid commands the naval forces, including the Australian units under Rear-Admiral Crutchley. The total tonnage of bombs dropped on Cape Gloucester in the month prior to the landing was nearly 4,000. This devastating aerial softening-up process, combined with the heavy naval barrage which covered the actual landings, rendered the possibility of effective opposition to the first invasion waves unlikely. The naval bombardment was a prolonged one, because of the time the landing vessels took to thread their way through the offshore reefs. The areas where the Americans landed are dominated by Mount Talawe, a 6,600 feet peak, the foothills of which run down to the coast.