The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-04
ALLIES MOVE
 AGAINST LAPS Last Stronghold in Papuan Area of New Guinea Is
 Under Assault
By DON CAswELL

A8AAAA
 United Press Staff Correspondent
 Gen. Mac Arthur's Headquarters Australia, Jan. {. - (UP) = United States and Australian troops under the personal direction of Gen Douglas MacArthur moved today against Japar's last stronghold ir the Papuan area of New Guinea.
 A small, desperate enemy force packeted in a salient around Cape Sanananda, alone remained to offel organized resistance after @ savage weekend drive in which the jungle- hardened American troops and their Australian veteran comrades stormeo and captured the Buna government station.
 "Buna area-on the right we have completed the destruction of the .enemy's defeated forces" Gen. Mac. Arthur's cornmunique said. His loss. es have been heavy.
 'The only remaining remnants oi the Japanese Papuan army are con- fined in a narrow salient from San. anada Point, which we are preparing to enVelop.
 'The enemy's position Is now hopeless"
 Three months ag6 thousand oi tough, confident Japanese troops held the Buna area and more were pouring in. The enemy drove tc within g miles of Port Moresby, the great Allied base on the south New Guinea coast which Japan sought as the springboard for an invasion of the Australian continent less than 400 miles away.
 Late in October the Japanese mel a stone wall defense. Macarthur waited for them to over-extenc themselves and then attacked. The Japanese withdrew across the Owen Stanley Mountains.
 On Nov. 19 the Allies opened q brilliant offensive campaign which new promised to end, possibly within a few days, in the greatest Japan est defeat of the entire southwest Pacific campaign.
 In @ general assault behind theil General Stuart tanks and artillery ranging up to 4 inch caliber the AL lied troops on Saturday broke the back of the Japanese resistance ir their last big beachhead between tht Buna government station and Cape Endaiadere to the south.
 With bayonet, hand grenade al16 tommy gun, the Allied troops slashet into the enemy in swamp and CO., conut grove and on the beaches.
 The Buna government station wa: occupied. The only Japanese re- maining in that area were pinned in a small pocket in the neighbor. hood of Gairopa Point, between the station and Cape Endaiadere.
 Yesterday the American and Aus tralian troops drove in on the Jap- anese from both sides. They joined forces at the creek. They left the beaches filtered with Japanese dead. A few Japanese were pocketed inland. They are now being exter- minated.
 It was estimated that more than $50 Japanese were killed Saturday most of them in hand to hand fight ing.
 Some prisoners were taken in the last phase of the fighting. including 35 Japanese coolie laborers.
 A few score Japanese troops tried to escape by swimming to isolated points up the coast. They refused to surrender and the new Lockheeo Lightning P-38 fighters, sent aftel them, killed many.
 In winning major victory the AL lied troops had started by driving wedges into the Japanese positions and establishing Salients on thG beaches. They had taken, in the area of what is called Buna, the village of Buna. the Buna Mission nearby, the government station which adjoins the mission and fir peace time was the administrative seat, and the two airplane landing strips which the Japanese had built
 Today the battle scene shifted tS the sanananda area five miles uT the coast.