Evening star., 1942-10-06
Troops Advance
In New Guinea
Stanley Range
Find No Evidence
Of Enemy Retreat
Toward Bunu
BY the Associated Press,

SYDNEY, Australia, Oct. 7
wednesday, Australian troops
have scaled the last steep grades
leading to the gap through the
rugged Owen Stanley Range in
Southern New Guinea and there
still is no sign of Japanese forces
retreating toward their base at
Buna, on the islands northeast
coast, dispatches from the bat
tlefront said today.
GEN. MACARTHUR's HEAD
QUARTERS, Australia. Oct. 6 P.-
American long-range BIS bombers
heavily attacked a Japanese convoy
heading north from Buna yester-
day, headquarters announcement
said today, raising the question
whether the enemy had attempted
to withdraw part of his forces or to
land reinforcements for his hard
pressed troops falling back in the
Owen Stanley Mountains.
The attack on the convoy, includ-
ing two destroyers and a large trans
port, came as the bloodless Allied
advance across the Papuan penin-
sula continued through its eighth
consecutive day. The Japanese ves-
sells apparently had slipped into
Buna under cover of darkness and
results of the air attack were not
observed.
2 Formations Hit Convoy.
Two formations of B-25's-North
American Billy Mitchells, the type
which raided Tokio-pounced on the
convoy. They were met by flight
of 6 to II Japanese Zeros, three of
which were shot down, against tho
loss of one of the attacking bombers.
GA CHS correspondent broad. ,
casting frem Australia said the
entire future Of operations in
northern New Guinea, where the ,
Japanese have footholds at Lac
and Salamaua, may depend on
the. answer to whether the Japa-
nese were attempting to land
reinforcements or to remove
their troops from the Buna area.
1This correspondent recalled
that the Japanese withdrew from
Milne Bay, below Buna, when '
they realized the odds were
against them, and that "they
might be doing the same thing '
again"
("While it would be unwise to
say that the Japanese have aban-
doned the northern New Guinea
campaign" he said, "the fact re-
mains that the enemy is retreat
ing through the Owen Stanley in
/ great hurry, and for once has
elected to risk loss of face')
Allied airnlen ran into the stronap
est Japanese aerial defense encouu-
tered in recent weeks in yesterdays
raids on Buna and on Rabaul, in
New Britain. They reported, how.
ever, that they accounted for seven
Japanese zeroes against the loss
of two bombers.
Rabaul Runways Pounded.
One of the strongest forces vet
was sent against Rabaul, but
weather prevented a small part OF
this force from reaching its objec-
tive. Those that did get there
pounded runways and dispersal areas
OF the Rabaul airdrome.
Other formations of North Amer
ican B-25s, Flying Fortresses and
Curtiss P-40s ranged over a wide
area of New Guinea. Sanananda,
base about five miles northwest
of Buna, came in for particularly
heavy assault.
On the land front, mean
while, Australian patrols advancing
through the Owen Stanley pushed
northward to Kagi, placing them
about mile from the entrance to
a gap which at an altitude of more
than 5000 feet is the highest point
in those rugged mountains.
Between Kagi and the gap there
is 1,000-foot climb over a tortuous
jungle trail.