Evening star., 1942-08-27
Allied Troops, Planes Battling
Jops Landed in New Guinea:
Nozi Reserves Fight Red Push
Enemy Pays Heavily
For Hold on Shore
At Milne Boy
Is the Associat ted Press.

Es the Associated Press.
The furiously spreading battle
of the Southwest Pacific rolled
closer to the Australian mainland
today as Japanese invaders paid
heavily with ships, troops and
planes for a savagely contested
landing on the southeastern tip
of New Guinea.
While American air power put one
enemy invasion fleet to flight off
Guadalcanal and inflicted mounting
naval losses on another in the stra-
tegic Solomons, Allied ground troops
and planes 600 miles to the west
Joined battle with a force of jap
anese marines that landed from a
small convoy at Milne Bay.
Cruiser Probably Sunk.
Heavy Allied air action, Gen.
Douglas MacArthur's headquarters
announced in Australia, destroyed
an enemy transport and six landing
barges and battered cruiser, prob
ably sinking it. Medium bombers
and fighters also raked other Jap
anese barges and supplies, strafed
landing troops and started many
fires.
The Navy, meantime, termed the
continuing action in the Southeast
ern Solomons encouraging" with at
least 13 japanese ships damaged in
the vain effort thus far to recapture
the bases held by United States
marines.
The enemy landing in New Guinea,
circling around the mountains that
had barred an overland advance
southwark, obviously increased the
threat to the Australian mainland.
Allied observers have theoriZed that
the Japanese would attempt the
maneuver to get at Port MoresDy,
the strongest Allied New Guinea
base.
Landing Anticipated.
Japanese forces defled tropical
deluge in landing at Milne Bay.
A spokesman at Allied headquar-
ters in Australia said the land
ing had been anticipated and that
the enemy had been engaged imme-
diately by Allied ground forces.
The bay, about 10 miles wide at its
mouth and 20 miles long, is at the tip
of Papua some 225 miles from Port
Moresby-apparently Japans first
aim-and about 420 miles from the
closest point on the Australian main
land.
The coast there is fiat, fringed
with mangrove swamps and cut by
several creeks abounding with croco-
diles.
Besides pounding the ships and
landing barges which ferried the in
vaders ashore, Allied flyers in Flying
Fortresses, single-engined Curtiss
Kittyhawk fighters and marauders
caused the Japanese heavy losses of
fuel, a dispatch from Gen. MacAr-
thurs headquarters said.
Drums Cached Under Water.
Some of the drums, which the
Japanese tried to conceal below wa
ter, were struck from low level and
the fires spread over wide area.
The Allied planes met no fighter
opposition, but were hampered by
thick clouds which cut the ceiling to
1000 feet and downpour which cut
visibility almost to zero.
Unofficial reports said the fighter
pilots had particular success strafing
enemy troops and shore positions
and machine cunning enemy-filled
launches and barges while the
bombers centered on supply dumps
ashore.
One Kittyhawk pilot. asked il
aid was needed, flashed back the
reply: Were having great time
strafing Japs on beach and doing
nicely" The landing forces appar-
emily were left to fend for them
selves without air support.
Clouds Hampered Flyers.
The statement of the spokesman
In Australia was taken as an in
dication that the japanese woulc
find the going harder at Milne Bay
than at Buna, Salamaua and Lac
the bases in Northeastern New
Guinea which they seized earlier
with only slight opposition.
Allied airmen who attacked the
convoy the day before yesterda,
while it was moving southwark
through the Trobriand Islands, 10(
miles north of Milne Bay, said dens'
clouds and mistS as low as 300 fee
above the water made location o
the ships difficult.
In some cases, the pilots said, the,
found themselves over the ship
almost before they could be seen.
While the action was going on il
this theater japanese planes at
tackled Broome on the Australian
west coast, dropping a few bomb
which Allied headquarters SAT-
caused little damage and no casual
ties.
A new checkup of combat report
indicated today that American pilot
shot down Is of A bombers an
fighters which attacked Darwin las
Sunday.
Apparently six japanese bomber
were shot down instead OF four men
toned in communique issued afte
the fight. Nine Zero fighters wer
downed.
Establishment of strong air-se
base at the Milne Bay site woul
facilitate Japanese bombardment Q
a string of Australian mainlan
industrial cities across the Coral Sc
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