The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-18
AlJSSIESADVANCE
I.ns Strike Back At Beach
Head AT Arawe, On
Southwest End
1ANIp PLANES DOWNED
I.;berator Bombers Con-
tiuue Pounding OF Stra-
tegic Marshalls
J., THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

pv THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
American invasion forces on New
pr;tain island have consolidated
t nl positions at Arawe, won at
l,oht cost Wednesday, while Aus
LILLIAN forces to the west on the
Euon peninsula of New Guinea,
bsvp captured Lakona, a coastal
supply base,
These successes were announced
.dav bv Gen. Douglas Macarthur
=, his New Guinea headquarters.
Tbe Japanese air force struck back
- the Arawe peninsula, on the
eouthwestern end of New Britain.
i.,,t lost IA planes in its futile ef-
f5rt to dislodge the American
Sixth Army units.
Gloucester Pounded
Tn the northwest IF AraWe
American Liberator bombers gave
cane Gloucester another pounding,
d,onping 232 tons of explosives on
N..t oft-bombed enemy position.
That brought the total weight of
bombs cascaded there since late
November to LOO tons.
In mid-Pacific, Liberator bomb
as of the American Seventh Army
A. force continuing their pound
re of strategic airbase atolls in
tbe Marshall islands raided Vote
aoll at dusk Wednesday, the sec
md attack of the day The air
t,e received numerous direct hits
there was no eremy interrogation
and anti-aircraft fire was light.
Chinese Fighting =.
Fierce fighting continued in
Gina, centerins on the outskirts
of Ansien and Manhsien, two I'M
portat towns north Of Tungting
lake in the rice bowl area. A Jap
anese counter attack. from their
base at Lihsien, was frustrated.
The battle for Changteh, strate-
gic rice bowl city which the Chi
reese retook recently in bloody
fiahting. was a pivotal success for
tie whole strategy Of the United
Nations in the Pacific region, Gen.
Hsueh Yueh. commander of the
Chan teh war area, told CORE
spondents. ChaLgteh is the mill
ta,y gateway west of Turgting lake
ard key to Changsha, a provincial
capital.
Echoes of the costly invasion Of
Tarawa in the Gilbert islands in
November were heard in Wash
iaston There the Senate naval
committee received assurances
from Lieut.. Gen A. A. Vandegrift,
commandment of the Marine corps,
that the Tarawa operation w a S
veil planned ard skillfully exc
cuted." He wrote to Chairman
Walsh D.-Mass J of the commit
tee who had inquired about the
heavy Marine losses on Tarawa's
beaches.
Heavy Losses Expected
Vandegrift warned t h a t heavy
losses could be expected in future
attacks where firmly held islands
we're assaulted by troops wading
II from landing boats. There are
10 foxholes off shore and ''no
royal road to Tokyo" he said.
GEN. MACARTHUR'S HEAD
QUARTERS IN NEW GUINEA,
saturday, Dec. 18.-The Japa.
lese air force has struck back al
me Sixth Army's beachhead on the
southwest coast Il New Britain but
-oA "A planes while the invaders
Snehgthened their newly-won po'
Nuon at Arawe.
"A short distance northwest Of
ae oeachhead, two waves Of Amer
lSaA Llberators smashed Japan's
tspe Gloucester air base with %:
.onS Of explosives. That brough'
~ more than LOO tons the bomt
s.elght to smash that small large
Nnce late November.
Inese latest developments in thu
!IsAt for New Britain, which open
GU With the invasion of Arawe pen
niSula on Wednesday. were an
,1punced today by Gen. Douglas
-i,s,e.Arthur's headquarters.
westward from the ground seem
continued on Page Five; Col. 3