Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-09
Marines Capture Hill
IN New Britain Fight,
!. Killing 200 Japanese
By the Associated Press.


~. ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, New Guinea, Sun
day, Jan. 9.-Driving inland from
Bergen Bay. New Britain, in the
face of Japanese machine-gun
fire, Marine jungle fighters have
slain 200 enemy troops and
reached Hill No. $50, a good artil-
lery observation post, headquar-
tiers reported today.
The new enemy losses were added
to more than 1000 previously in
flicted during the invasion of the
Cape Gloucester sector of western
New Britain which opened last
December Is.
Named for it's elevation, Hill No
$50 is mile and three-quarters
south of Silimati Point on Bergen
Bay east of Cape Gloucester. Sill
matt was the main landing point of
the invasion forces, part of which
swept west to capture the Cape
Gloucester airdrome while others
stood off strong counterattacks by a
regiment of Japanese at Bergen
Bay.
Opposition Was Strong.
A headquarters spokesman said
the hill was reached Thursday and
that the drive was resumed Friday.
The spokesman referred to Japa-
nese opposition as strong"
The invaded New Britain area
commands the eastern side of mar
row waters leading into the Bis
marck Sea. On New Guinea's Huon
Peninsula, which commands the
western side, Australians who have
been moving at faster pace re-
Gently along the coast, ran into
enemy opposition and were slowed
Thursday to mile-and-a half
gain.
~ That opposition was encountered
at the Dallman River, approximate
ly As miles north of the Allied pen
Ursula base of Finschhafen. The
Aussies registered their gain under
an artillery barrage in a sector
where the coastline curves toward
the west. Less than IS miles sep
arate them from American forces
which landed January 2 at Saidor.
100 Jap Planes Down.
On the northeastern end of New
Britain, Allied fighters based in the
Solomons maintained their police
beat" over Rabaul Thursday, shoot
ing down 10 Nipponese planes. That
made the total bag in Is days more
than 190 On the return trip, the
fighters hit New Ireland airdrome
and strafed villages along the south
east coastline. Two of the raiders
were lost.
Liberators delivered 51-ton bomb
load on the air base at Alexishafen
Thursday. The next morning a
Catalina ranging north of Alex
ishafen bombed and blew up 5000
ton japanese tanker and set fire to
a 1,500-ton cargo boat.
Between Saidor and AlexiShafen
is the enemy supply port of Madang,
menaced by the coastal advance to
its southeast and by Australians in
the Ramu Valley to the southwest.
Along the valley approach, attack
planes and Mitchell bombers went
after installations and bridges
Thursday on the only good road in
that area.
japanese Strafed.
In the Northern Solomons, where
Americans gradually are prying
loose Japan's hold on Bougainville
Island by an air and sea blockade
of supply lines, PIT boats Thursday
damaged equipment and personnel
in running fight with enemy
barges on the south coast. South
west of Bougainville, Mitchell bomb
ers expended 10000 rounds in STRAIT
ing the japanese on Choiseul Island.
Latest addition to United Ma
tons bases for hammering at
Rabaul is big airdrome on tiny
Treasury Island, the third Ameri-
can-built plane base in the North
ern Solomons. The new field puts
South Pacific heavy bombers within
300 miles of Rabaul.
Pressure of the aerial squeeze on
this New Britain fortress will be in
creased further when Seabees COM
plete repairing the Japanese On
structed Cape Gloucester airdrome,
wrecked by Allied bombs before the
Marines landed December 26. This
field is 265 air miles from Rabaul,
at the opposite end of New Britain.
80 Barges Attacked.
The biggest single day of barge
hunting since the Japanese fled from
New Georgia Island in the Central
Solomons last summer, was reported
by Gen. Macarthur yesterday. More
than 80 barges, at least 10 of them
laden with troops, were straffed
sunk or damaged from the Solomons
to Northeast New Guinea.
So far this year so barges have
been listed as sunk or damaged.
More than half the number were
attacked in the vicinity of Madang,
indicating the enemy was shifting
or reinforcing its troops to meet
Americans pressing toward that
point along the coast and Aus
tralians advancing from the noun
famous inland area. Southeast of
Madang another column of Aus
tralian and American forces, some
IS miles apart, made contact with
trapped japanese forces who Gen.
Macarthur has announced would be
annihilated.
Liberotor Blasts Jap Ship
In Southern MorshoIIs
PEARL HARBOR. Jan. 8 P.-