Evening star., 1942-12-13
Mop-Up in New Guinea

| 't0P III iNSW 0uttISO
The campaign to wipe out the
japanese foothold on the shores Of
Southeastern New Guinea appears
to have entered its final stage. A
few days ago the Australians elm
| mated the northern japanese strong
hold of Coma, already isolated from
the main base at Buna. All that
remains is a narrow strip of terri
tory, averaging less than a mile
deep and stretching some nine miles
between Capes Killerton and En-
daiadere. Indeed, the Americans
have just broken through to the
coast close to Buna, thereby pocket
ing the japanese at Cape Endaia-
dere. while a mixed American and
Australian force threatens to do the
same near Cape Killerton at the
northern end Of the enemy strip
Thus the whiting down process
progresses toward what must be the
inevitable end unless the Japanese
can throw in reinforcementS and
supplies on a big scale.
Such a contingency seems ex-
tremely remote. Time after time the
stubborn foe has tried it, just as he
has with his beleaguered garrison on
Guadalcanal, and with similar dis
astrous results to conveys blasted by
our bombers or riddled by our surface
warships. We now have local COM
mand of both the air and the sea in
Southeastern New Guinea and the
Southern Solomons, and we are
making the most of our advantage.
Yet these mop-up operations are
no easy jobs. The japanese have
used their months of occupation in
New Guinea. especially, to fortify
their Buna base in elaborate fash
ion. And the terrain lends itself
admirably to tenacious defense.
Back of narrow sand beach lies a
maze of swampy jungle, almost i'm
penetrable save for occasional trails
dominated by cleverly placed concrete
pillboxes, foxholes often dug beneath
giant tropical trees and interlaced
with masses Of tough jungle vines.
Against murderous concentric fire
the green-clad Australians and
Americans must proceed slowly and
warily, fighting onward literally
yard by yard. Here, as elsewhere,
the defenders battle to the death
When Coma fell the Australians took
only 16 prisoners. presumably badly
wounded men, as against 440 Japa-
neSe dead already counted. with
many other bodies doubtless still un-
detected amid the dense jungle.
Until the last japanese has been
disposed of, the Job will not be done,
and japanese planes still fly over
Buna occasionally, taking severe air
losses in order to drop packages of
ammunition and food to their hard
pressed comrades. On Guadalcanal
the task probably will be longer, be-
cause there the japanese have plenty
of elbow room amid extensive tracts
of forest-clad mountain as we'll as
dense jungle.
Assuming the impending mop-up
of both japanese garrisons, the next
question is whether those successes
will be the prelude to tWo-pronged
offensive at the main japanese bases
on the Northern Solomons and at
Rabaul on New Britain Island. This
is not unlikely. The shifting of
General Douglas MacArthur's head
quarters to New Guinea indicates the
strength of his Australian American
land forces there, while the recent
victories of our naval forces, includ-
ing battleships, over japanese squad
rons in the waters around Guadal-
canal implies the presence Of pow
erful American fleet.
Nevertheless, no quick issue should
be expected from such an offensive.
What may be anticipated is a series
Of co-ordinated operations involving
much hard fighting at many points
over a wide area The fall Of Rabaul
would place the Allies within strik-
ing distance Of Truk, the japanese
Gibraltar of the South Pacific, which
guards the seaward approaches to
Japan itself. The enemy can be
counted on to try and avert such a
disaster at almost any cost.