The Wilmington morning star., 1945-06-13
Australians
Push Inland
Four Miles
MUARA ISLAND FALLS
Important Supply Point
Assured; Oil Fields
Threatened

- tH) -AuSLfallan invaders Ol
northwest Borneo, switching from
helmets to brodrims under the
broiling sun after Japanese resis-
lance continued light, have push
ed in force four miles from the
coast to within 10 airline miles Of
Brunei.
This drive toward the capital city
Of the British protectorate, vital
because it leads toward rich oil
fields, drew the personal atten-
lion of Gen. Douglas Macarthur
who visited the front with Rear
Adm. Forrest Breton, Royal Aus
tralian assault group commander.
Official headquarters reports to-
day listed new gains on Brunei
from demolished Brooketon village.
An important staging point for
supplies to support the mainland
push was assured when the dig
gers" completely occupied four
mile-long M'lara island, lying Ath-
wart Brooketon. The narrow chan
mel does not permit direct unload
ing of supplies on the mainland.
On Labuan island, which Gener-
al Macarthur visited on D-Day,
Sunday. hundreds of troops and
supplies were poured ashore by
the supporting U. S. Seventh Fleet.
The Aussies, veterans of fighting
in Africa against the Germans,
cleared the Nipponese from densely
wooded hills to a point two miles
north of the airfield. Labuan COM
rnands the entrance to Brunei
Bay, an excellent fleet anchor
age.
Although the push on Brunei
was lightly opposed, ahead of the
'Rats of Tobruk'' are crocodile
infested swamps and rattan jun
giles, forested with ironwood and
rubber trees.
Royal Australian and 18th Air
Force fightcr-bombers supported
operations with 1853 more sorties,
dropping 40 tons of general pur-
pose and deadly, fire bombs on
pinpointed enemy targets.
Seventh fleet patrol-torpedo
boats strafed Sipitang, east Of
Brunei placed a stranglehold on
attempted enemy barge move
ments.
While work was pressed toward
preparing a great new Allied base
within 800 miles of Singapore,
Navy privateer sank freighter
and left another smoking at Kuch-
ing, capital Of Sarawak, on the
west coast of Borneo.
Land-based Liberators, Mitch
ellis, Lightnings and Beaufighters
smashed buildings and q narrow
gauge railway between Jesselton
and Beaufort, north and west of
Brunei Bay. PIT boats nosed. into
Sandakan, British North Borneo,
destroyed a 40-foot vessel, fired
fuel dumps and strafed shore po-
sitions.
LII tiS Ib1uppll1CS, way SSi'
Robert S. Beeightler's veteran 37th
Division gained another 5000 yards
along a billy mountain road to-
ward Luzon's fertile Cagayan val
vance was east of Bagabag to-
ley northeast Of Manila. The ad-
ward Oriun village japanese ar
tillery and mortar fire. slowed the
push. Sunday and Monday, seven
enemy tanks were destroyed in
the Bagabag area, "a Japanese
killed and 81 taken prisoner.
On Mindanao, Eighth Army
troops broke resistance east of the
Davao river and pressed west TO
occupy riverside. Silae was cap
tured during a 7,000-yard advance
in Central Mindanao.
On this fourth day Of the Bor-
neo invasion Japanese opposition
continued almost negligible but
Australian commanders predicted
"some strife as their forces move
through Mangrove swamp1ands and
fro,,&jnmnJ NJ. Do ~o T,u,o. TAI ~