Evening star., 1943-01-24
III laps Surrender
As Fighting Ends
In Papuan Jungle
Two More Enemy Ships
Damaged by Bombs
Near RubuuI Hurbor
BY TOM YARRROUGH,

Associated Press War Correspondent.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
AUSTRALIA, Sunday, Jan. 24.-At
the end of their rope in New GUM
ea's Papuan jungle, lit japanese
chose surrender yesterday instead
of fighting to the death as hun
dreds of others had done. Thus the
campaign against a Jap Army,
which once totaled $4,000, came to
an end.
The number of prisoners taken
was unusually large. Only a few
Isolated snipers remained to be shot
out of their trees and other perches.
"a Jap officer, taken earlier in
the New Guinea fighting, said
Emperor Hirohito had command
ed the Japs to fight to the last
man. In most cases prisoners
in battle sector have been neg
lible.)
Bomber Hits Transport.
On the spreading aerial front, two
waves of night bombers, raiding on
the first anniversary of Japan's cap
ture Of Rabaul, blasted at airdromes
and ships in that New Britain sec
tor. Afterward, a reconnaissance
bomber scored a direct hit and
badly damaged a 12,000-ton trans
port, then brought an 8000-ton YES
sci to a standstill near Rabaul with
two near hits. Only yesterday, Gen.
Douglas MacArthur's communique
had told of the destruction of four
Jap ships. totaling $4,000 tons, at
Rabaul.
While other planes raided Fuiloro
and Koepang in Timor, Madang,
Finschhafen, Lac and Salamaua in
New Guinea, Port Moresby on New
Guinea's southeast shore underwent
its Tooth night Jap attack, but there
was no damage.
Five Jap Zeros were downed in
dogfghting which occurred during
the latest Rabaul raid.
Our heavy bombers attacked the
harbor before dawn" Gen. Mac
Arthur's communique stated, "strik-
ing at shipping and airdromes. A
fuel dump at Vunakanau was hit
and left burning furiously with nu-
merous explosions visible for rs
miles; other bombs fell in the dis
persal area and blast bays. Vessels
at anchor and convoy approach
ing the harbor were bombed but
searchlight glares was such that
results could not be observed.
During the day one of our heavy
bombers on armed reconnaissance
over the area seriously damaged a
12,000-ton transport in the harbor
with direct hit and five near
misses and scored two near hits on
an 8,000-ton ship north of Rabaul
which came to a standstill. Twelve
enemy fighters intercepted the bonn
Der in a running fight lasting l
hour and 5 minutes. Five enemy
were destroyed and two damaged.
Our bomber returned safely"
mention of a convoy in Ra-
bauls vicinity could be regarded
as indicative of impending Jap
action in the Southwest Pacific.
1t was from Rabaul that the
Japs sent a convoy to Lac re-
Gently which resulted in severe
shipping losses and the costliest
Jap air defeat of the war to date.
1t also was from Rabaul
that some reinforcements have
steamed down into the Solomon's
sector)
Is Zeros Fail to Stop Bomber.
The news of the cessation of
fighting in Papua was presaged in
yesterdays communique which told
of the elimination of all organized
Jap resistance around Sanananda,
leaving only small groups of Jap
soldiers wandering aimlessly in the
jungles.
Proving as did the bomber over
Rabaul that Allied bombers can hold
their own against superior numbers
of Jap planes, heavy bomber in the
vicinity of WeWak, New Guinea, shot
down three Jap Zeros for certain
and probably got two others out of
a swarm of 18 which engaged it in
a running fight of one hour and 35
minutes.
The bomber got home safely.