Evening star., 1944-02-20

This is the sirth of IL articles
titled "Where Are the YdnkS?"
The series has been prepared by
the National Geographic Society
for The EDening Star to inform
readers about the regions Uhere
American Serpicemen are sta
toned. An article 1Dil appear in
The Star each Sunday.
New Guinea-Wild, wet, rugged,
vast, tropical. In 432 years since the
white man first sighted it, he has
barely touched it's interior. Only at
the earth's poles are there such
large areas so little explored.
Development Of New Guinea's
coasts by planters and traders began
only so years ago. The Dutch In the
western half, British and Germans
in the east, were the pioneers.
Since World War I, British and
Dutch have drawn increasing wealth
in gold and coconut products from
New Guinea, as they have developed
rich resources in other islands of
the worlds largest archipelago.
With few exceptions. their New
Guinea settlements are on the coast.
None is more than large village.
Turkey Shaped Island.
Even the Yanks, who in two years
of fighting on New Guinea have
teamed with the Aussies to throw
the Japs into reverse. have scratched
only the back and tail of the big
island, which is shaped like a tur-
key.
New Guinea perches atop Cape
York. northernmost tip of Australia,
on reef -pimpled legs covered by the
shallow waters of l00-mile Torres
Strait Westward, Vogelkop, mean
ing bird head" in Dutch, is nearly
severed from the peninsula Wattled
neck. 1t rises barely above the lati-
tude of the shoulder, as if rooted
down by the Equator. Eastward. the
birds tail sweeps to feathery dou-
BILE tip that makes historic Milne
Bay. New Britain is plume that
flutters free from the Huon PENN
sula wing.
Second only to Greenland among
island areas of the world, New
Guinea matches the present area
of the Is original States of the
United States. 1t is 1,5OO miles long
east to west and $50 miles wide at
the middle. Yanks on the Huon
bulge, nearest to New Britain, are
$500 air miles southwest of San
Francisco.
Village Airports.
Japs. reaching for Australia in
mid-1942, seized the settlements
that dot the long back of the New
Guinea bird Buna. Coma. Sala-
maua, Lac. Finschhafen. Madang.
Hollandia, Sarmi. Far west, on the
head and neck, they set bases at
Manokwari, Sorong, Fakfak, Kali
mana.
Gold had built airports at some of
these villages. From either Salamaua
or Lac, for example. British pros
pectors who had once struggled at
mica -daV pace to reach 80 miles
inland to Wau could cover the dis
tance by air in less than 80 minutes.
From such airfields, the Japs pound
ed Port Moresby, key British strong
hold on New Guineas Papuan
(southeasD coast, and Australia's
northern bastions.
But not for long. Yanks and
Aussies, gathering air and ground
strength, pushed up the New Guinea
north coast and on to New Britain.
At Milne Bay, in the Markham VAL
ley and in the Owen Stanley Range
the Japs learned by bitter experience
prime fact about New Guinea-to
gain your ends there, you must have
Nature on your side.
Towering mountain ranges, whose
snoW-capped SUBMITS in the west
are higher than any peak in the
united States. extend the length of
the island. Lower ranges parallel
them. creating waves of choppv
peaks. Thick forests matted with
creeping and climbing vines cover
the slopes, All Nature steams in
the tropical sun between torrential
rains.
Great Marshlands,
Here and there in the mountains
are eXpanses barred of forests by fire,
but covered with tall, razor sharp
grass and traversed by storm-river
gorges.
Many rivers flow from the noun
cams to the coast. Largest are the
Fly on the south, and the Sepik, on
the north Bordering the coasts,
especially in the south, are great
marshlands infested with mosoui-
toes. crocodiles, snakes and leeches.
Nature rained and flooded the Japs
back to the Huon Gulf from their