Evening star., 1942-12-15
Macarthur Flyers
Blast at Enemy
North of Bunu
BY the Associated Press.


AUSTRALIA, Dec. 15.-American
jungle fighters, supported by
Australians, stormed into Buna
village yesterday and heavy
fighting ragged about the Japa-
nese-held Buna Mission to the
east today while Allied bombers
smashed at new enemy invasion
expeditions put ashore by a
strong cruiser and destroyer
force at two points farther up
the New Guinea coast.
The Americans slashed their way
into the village five days after the
capture of Coma, IL miles to the
northwest. These were the main
bases of the foothold established by
the japanese last July % in their
closest thrust toward Northeast
Australia.
(War-front dispatches reach
Ing Melbourne said the Allies
were squeezing the japanese from
three sides on the central sector
OF the Gona-Buna battle-ground,
with Australians pressing in from
the left, Americans from the
right and both Australians and
Americans attacking through the
center at Sanananda Point, above
Buna village.
Japs Suffer Heavy Casualties.
Despite the frightful cost in men
and supplies inflicted on the new
japanese landing operations, head
quarters communique indicated some
reinforcements were put ashore by
the heavily protected convoy stand
ing of the mouths of the Kumusi
and Mambare Rivers, some 20 and 40
miles, respectively, north of Buna.
"In heavy bombing and strafing
attacks. the enemy's landing barges
were sunk or disabled" the COM
munique said. Survivors attempted
to reach landing by swimming, suf-
fering heavy casualties. Supplies
were set afire. Several hits and
many near misses were made on the
war vessls. =, .--.
The enemy's air force interyened
unsuccessfully. an enemy bomber and
two fighters being shot down and
the remainder dispersed. 1t Is be-
lieved that the major enemy effort
was largely parried." 1. @r
(T4he Melbourne Herald's cor
respondent in New Guinea said
that although big proportion Of
the Japanese were believed slain
before they reached shore, the
landings in the Mambare and
Kumusi estuaries means that
the enemy has established an ad-
ditional sector on the Papuan
coast.D
Under Heavy Air Assault.
Japanese soldiers under full pack
were reported to have plunged
wildly into water coated with blaz-
ing oil and Uttered with wrecked
and burning landing barges as the
Allied airmen drove home their
wave assaults on the convoys.
After being attacked by Liberators
and Flying Fortresses the cruiser
and destroyer - protected Japanese
vessels stood off the coast Sunday
night and began landing operations
under cover of darkness.
Early Monday Fortresses, Havocs,
Airacobras and Australian Beau
fighters swarmed to the assault,
bombing and strafng the landing
area in a ceaseless shuttle service
between ship and shore. Every one
OF the enemy landing barges in one
group Of 20 was sunk or set afire.
Barrels filled with ammunition
oil and other supplies were lashed
together with nets and attempts
were made to float them to shore
but Allied airmen said they had a
field day in sending them to the
bottom in low-level strafing attacks,
Many of the ammunition-fllled
barrels were reported to have ex-
ploded with a mighty roar, destroy
ing nearby barges loaded with troops.
After absorbing two days of pun
ishing raids, the convoy scattered
northward.
AZ matters stood today the Japa-
nese in the Buna Coma area still
were clinging to Buna Mission and
Sanananda Point, just to the north,
some positions of undisclosed depth
to the east, and possibly the newly
established though heavily battered
toeholds up the Papuan coast.
Their main New Guinea bases,
however, are at Lac and Salamaua,
$50 miles to the northwest, where
their initial landings were made on
the island last March.
The July landings at Buna and
Coma, which presented the gravest
threat to the Allied outpost at Port
Moresby, were followed by a disas-
trous attempt to gain a foothold in
Milne Bay, at the southern end of
New Guinea.