Evening star., 1942-09-10
AustruIiuns Bottle
Foe Less Than ~
Miles From City
BY the Associated Press.

QUARTERS, Australia, Sept. 10,
BY a series of flanking move
ments, japanese troops have
fought their way across the
summit of the rugged Owen
Stanley Mountains in New
Guinea and are pushing down
the southern slopes within A
miles airline of Port Moresby,
Gen. MacArthur's headquarters
announced today.
Australian forces, the announce
ment said, are battling gallantly to
halt the enemy advance along mar
row trail traversing series of ridges
which still lie between the invaders
and their goal.
The fighting is proceeding under
conditions of extraordinary hard
ship and difficulty" the bulletin
added.
Allied air units were said to be
playing an important role in the
battle. bombing and machine gun
ming the Japanese continually.
Jungle Fighters Used.
There was no official indication
OF the size of the forces which the
Japanese had thrown into the Of
fensive, but it was evident they
were employing seasoned jungle
fighters trained in the infiltration
tactics which played such a large
part in their successes in Malaga.
The brief announcement disclos-
ing the Japanese advance said the
invaders had successfully outfianked
Australian positions at Myola on
the north side of the towering Owen
Stanley Range, pushed through a
pass and again outflanked defenses
at Efogi on the southern side of
the summit, II miles nearer Port
Moresby.
The invaders thus have traversed
approximately is miles since they
launched their push from Kokoda
several days ago and now are con-
siderably more than half way across
the 120-mile- wide arm of South
eastern New Guinea.
Gap at 5000 Foot Altitude.
The gap through which the JAP
anese fought their way across the
Owen Stanley Range is about 5000
feet above sea level, while the ele-
vation at Efogi is about 4, 900 feet.
This means the invaders have
conquered the most formidable por-
tion of the mountain barrier barring
their way to Port Moresby. They
still must cross several ridges, none
OF which is less than 2,640 feet above
the sea.
Three-Quarters of mile beyond
Efogi Is the head of road which
winds downward through the noun
tair1s for 25 or 80 miles before reach
ing the comparatively level ground
Immediately above Port Moresby.
While the japanese are A miles air.
line from their goal the distance by
road is between so and go miles.
Port Moresby itself lies only 325
miles from the northeast tip of
Australia and is regarded as a viatl
link in the defenses of this con-
tinent Should it fall to the Jap
anese they would be in possession
of an important base from which to
bomb Australia and a potential
jumping off place from which to
launch an outright invasion attempt.
Gen. Rowell in Command.
The Australian troops defending
the approaches to Port Moresby are
under the command of 1t. Gen. S.
r. Rowell, former deputy chief of
the Australian general staff.
United States as well as Australian
troops presumably are included in
the Port Moresby garrison, although
there was no indication that Amer
leans were participating in the cur
rent fighting.
No other action was reported ir
the New Guinea theater except
minor patrol activity in the vicinity
of Mubo, a native hamlet 9 miles
south of the japanese base al
Salamaua on the northeast coast.
There was no mention of opera
tions at Milne Bay, 235 miles from
Port Moresby at the southeast til
of New Guinea, where Allied troop
were said yesterday to have wipes
out TOO japanese troops, PRACTICAL.
eliminating the enemy there.