Evening star., 1943-08-21
laps Reireating
From Breac1ed
SaIamaua Line
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC,
Aug. 2l-The Japanese are in
headlong retreat before bomb
battered Salamaua.
Their mountain front line cracked
wide open, they have abandoned
heavy guns in precipitous flight
toward the last defenses barring the
Allies from that highly -prized air
base on New Guinea's northeast
coast.
Bombed almost daily for months
by Allied planes, shelled by accurate
mountain artillery and under relent-
less pressure of American and Aus
tralian jungle groups, the enemy at
last has been routed from long
held ridge positions as near as 2
miles from the coveted air field.
Heretofore, the Allies have inched
forward, now on the right at Tambu
Bay. now on the left around Bobdubi
in jungle country crossed only by
trails. Yesterday. they surged for
ward in a general advance.
Weapons and Dead Abandoned.
The enemy. poorly supplied and in
dire need of reinforcement. is "in
full retreat to his inner citadel Of
defenses at Salamaua ITSELF" said
todays communique from Gen.
Douglas Macarthur,
"Machineguns and artillery were
abandoned along with more than $50
buried dead. Our troops are mop
ping up"
CThere was no elaboration on
the reference to buried dead"
Japanese practice has been to
cremate the dead, when possible,
and return the ashes to national
shrine in Japan. In many cases.
however, they have been forced to
abandon their dead, unburied, on
the field of battle)
The town of Salamaua, In Japa-
nese hands since January, 1912, Is
built out on an isthmus. Its air.
drome Is miles south near the
| point where the Francisco River
empties into Bayern Bay.
The solid line now held by the
Americans and Australians below
Salamaua roughly forms the letter
"V." 1t Is anchored on the coast
at Buiambum where the Roosevelt
Ridge begins. The easternmost end
of this ridge Is 3 miles from the
southwestern end of the air strip.
More Planes Blasted at Wewak.
The Allied line then dips down to
the Mount Tambu region which is
"A miles south and slightly west
of the strips southwest end. From
there, the positions run north to
Komiatum, about miles below and
slightly west of the strip, and to
Orodubi, about the same distance
from the strip but more to the west.
From Orodubi the Allied line ex-
tends up to the Francisco River at
Bobdubi Ridge. This ridge, now con-
trolled by the Allies, is only two
miles at its easternmost end from
the airfield.
The Japanese crackup at Salamaua
was hastened by the virtual wiping
out at Wewak, $50 miles up the
coast, of an air force of 225 planes.
most OF them trapped on the ground
by Allied bombers Tuesday and
Wednesday.
Yesterday big Liberators with
fighter escort went back to Wewak
with 66 tons of bombs and added "a
more planes to the 215 previously
destroyed there. Attacking air re-
Inducements which the Japanese
had moved in hastily, the raiders
probably destroyed six more planes
and damaged three at cost of only
two.
In the Solomons sector enemy
planes made an ineffective raid on
the American forces which occupied
Vella Lavella Island last Sunday.
Of the northeastern coast of that
island, where guns CT American war
ships killed more than 1000 Japa-
nese troops trying to land Wednes-
day from barges, light naval units
sank small enemy ship.