Evening star., 1943-03-01
MacAhhur's Forces
Pound Japs Massing
North Of Australia
Foe Apparently Preparing
For Major Action Soon,
Allies Declare

BY the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
AUSTRALIA, March Japan is
massing great forces of troops
and powerful armadas of ships
and planes in island bases north
of Australia, either for the long
awaited offensive smash at this
continent or in anticipation of
large scale Allied assault, Gen.
Douglas MacArthur's headquar-
ters announced today.
Allied planes which have been
ranging far and wide over the South
west Pacific in recent weeks, ham
mering at enemy bases from the
Solomon Islands in the east to
Dutch Timor in the west, have
brought back reports of steadily
growing Japanese concentrations, 1t
was announced.
Gen. MacArthur's command dis
closed this Japanese activity in a
communique which told of an Allied
aerial attack on the Japanese
occupied Penfoei Airdrome at Koe-
pang, Timor. in which four enemy
bombers and nine fighters were de-
stroyed on the ground and another
bomber and eight fighters were
either destroyed or seriously dam
aged. Koepang is about 500 miles
northwest of Darwin, Australia.
Constant Reinforcement.
Our air reconnaissance over the
past weeks reports a constant and
growing reinforcement in all cate
gories of enemy strength in the is
land perimeter enveloping the upper
half of Australia" the communique
said
The enemy seems to be concen-
trating his main effort in prepara-
ton on this front Such an assem-
blage of major force indicates he is
taking up position in readiness"
A spokesman at headquarters.
asked whether the term position in
readiness" indicated the Japanese
were preparing to attack Australia
or defend their present positions,
said:
1T could be either offensive or
defensive"
The japanese string of island
bases, hanging threateningly above
Australia, stretches for more than
1000 miles from the Solomons on
the east through New Britain. New
Guinea and Timor to the Neither
lands Indies.
(Australian officials have
stressed this ever-present threat
frequently in recent months.
Prime Minister John Curtin. ask
ing for more air and naval
strength in January, said The
Southwest Pacific area is too
crucial to be left to a force of
caretakers. The men of
Corregidor can be avenged only
il naval and air strength in this
theater are adequate to the plans
of the commander"
(Mr. Curtin said, Time is fight
ing on the side of Japan. Time
is fighting against the United
Nations.D
Japs Still Hold Bases.
The troops under Gen. Macarthur
have smashed one Japanese army
of $4,000 men in New Guinea and
driven the enemy from Papua, but
the Japanese still control air and
ground bases farther up the New
Guinea coast. Allied forces are now
approaching Salamaua, one OF these
bases, and today's communique re-
ported that the Wai-Paining- Val
pail area had been cleared of the
enemy, with 10 japanese dead al
ready counted and others scattered
in the scrub.
The Japanese also suffered Sc
we're setback on Guadalcanal in the
Solomons group, where an air base
under construction was captured by
United States marines. The marines
and the Army subsequently drove
the japanese entirely off the island.
The japanese also have suffered Sc
we're naval and air losses in the
Southwest Pacific.
The Allied air attack on Koepang
was made at dawn yesterday with
the largest number of long range
Australian Beauflghters ever en-
ployed in that sector and caught the
japanese completely by surprise
Eighteen thousand rounds of cannon
and heavy machinegun fire were
poured into the enemy aircraft.
Other Allied planes raided Japa-
nese bases at Toeal in the Kai
Islands and at Finschhafen and Lac
in New Guinea.