Pacific News-Review

Notes And Comment On

The Progress Of The War

From Sept. 15 To Oct. 14

Sept. 15; The RAF made its 100th raid on Bremen.

Sept. 15: Patrol activity in Efogi area, south of the Owen Stanley Range. Allied bombers attack enemy shipping in Ten imber Islands (between Timor and New Guinea).

Sept. 16: Germans commence non-stop air-attacks on Stalingrad, and attempt to cross the Volga south of the city.

There is desperate urgency behind this final and tremendous German effort to take Stalingrad, and seize command of the Russian life-line represented by the river-borne traffic of the Volga. If the Germans can thus secure their northern flank, they may be able to settle down on the Volga-Don front for the winter, while their more southerly armies, taking advantage of the remaining days of autumn, try to break through the Caucasus and open the way into Iran, Iraq, and the Middle East. There is no doubt that this occupation of the Middle East by German armies is a fundamental part of Germa.n-Japanese strategy. If the Germans are beaten in this Stalingrad battle, one of the most dangerous phases of the war will have ended in favour of the United Nations.

Sept. 17: Japanese launch attack on Guadalcanal (Solomons) with infantry, aircraft, and warships, in an attempt to re-take this American-held base. Heavy fighting is in progress but the US marines are holding their positions.

Sept. 17: RAF make 1,000-bomber raid over the Ruhr.

Sept. 18: Russians admit hard battles in outskirts of Stalingrad. Nazi reinforce ments are constantly arriving by plane.

Sept. 18: Patrol clashes, at loribaiwa, 32 miles by air from Port Moresby, have now given place to real action. The Japanese are exerting heavy pressure.

Japanese are using infiltration and envel opment, but the Australians are using counter-infiltration.

Sept. 18: Fighting on Guadalcanal has decreased in intensity, but the marines are holding their positions.

Sept. 21: A Japanese battle fleet attempting a counter-attack on the American-held Solomon Islands was driven off by US Flying Fortresses.

Sept. 22: Germans still making pro gress in Stalingrad. There is unparal leled carnage in the city as the weary and outnumbered Russians battle for every yard.

Sept. 22: Australians who “went bush” when the Japs invaded Timor and occu pied Dilli have formed guerilla bands and are terrorising enemy forces.

Sept. 22; Japanese have reinforced their air force on the Bay of Bengal and Assam-Burma frontier, and raids on India are expected.

The monsoonal rains which have made impassable the mountain roads between western Burma and India will end soon, now, and it can be expected that the Japanese armies in Burma will attempt to invade India. This, of course, has been foreseen by the United Nations, and it may be taken as certain that power ful military, naval and air forces — especially air forces —are waiting to re ceive the Japs. The enemy probably has used the monsoonal months to organise his attack against India; but it is equally

likely that the United Nations have also used the rainy season to prepare for an invasion of Burma, from both India and China. Conditions now in this area are vastly different to what they were when the monsoon commenced in May. Then the Japanese had air superiority and apparent naval equality. To-day they appear to have neither.

Sept. 22: Two new battleships of 35.000 tons, “Anson” and “Howe,” launched in Britain.

Sept. 24: Allied aircraft are ceaselessly pounding Japanese supplies and com munications in New Guinea, especially the Buna-Kokoda road.

Sept. 24: There is a renewed demand for a second front to aid Russia. Some newspapers say a diplomatic rift has been developing for some time between Moscow and the Allies on this account.

Sept. 26: The situation in Stalingrad is reported easier.

Sept. 26: Australians in the Owen Stanley Range are using 25-pounders against the Japanese.

Sept. 28: This has been the Allies’ busiest air week in the South-west Paci fic area. Enemy supplies, shipping and forces are continually being blasted.

Sept. 28: Stalingrad position confused.

Both sides report small gains. Germans are trying to split the city in two.

Sept. 28: Flying Fortresses raid Rabaul and leave 15,000-ton merchant vessel in flames.

Sept. 29: Roles are reversed in Papua.

The Japs are digging in at loribaiwa, and the Australians have launched a large-scale out-flanking and infiltration movement.

Oct. 1: Germans drive new wedge into Stalingrad’s defences.

Oct. 1: Australians have taken lori baiwa Ridge, 56 miles from Port Moresby, and continue to advance. Beaufighters are now in action in New Guinea.

Oct. 2; Australians make further advance in Owen Stanleys. The Japs have fallen back without resistance, abandoning supplies and equipment.

Oct. 2: The position of the US marines in the Solomons is still precarious. They hold only 60 square miles of Guadalcanal, while the Japs hold all the rest, and outnumber the Americans ten to one.

Oct. 5: Australians troops are following the retreating Japanese in New Guinea and have now reached the entrance of the Gap. More ammunition, stores and equipment have been captured.

Oct. 5: US expedition occupied the Andreanof Islands, in the centre of the Aleutians.

Oct. 6: Timoshenko’s armies, north west and south of Stalingrad, are mak ing some progress in relief thrusts.

Oct. 7: A Japanese convoy was sighted leaving Buna. It is not clear whether it was evacuating troops or landing rein forcements.

Oct. 7: The Russian relief army has made small gains, and the position in Stalingrad is one of stalemate.

Oct. 9: The Russians are holding the Nazis on all fronts. There is no sign of

the Stalingrad defence cracking, although this is the fifth day of the German all out offensive.

Oct. 9: Officially announced that Jap anese evacuated two bases in the Aleu tians some weeks ago. They now hold only Kiska.

It must be remembered that, already, the brief summer has ended in the North Pacific, and the Aleutians chain of islands probably now is wrapped in its customary fogs and rain. The Japanese, apparently, occupied Kiska and two other places in the Aleutians in an attempt to prevent the Americans using those bases for air attacks against Japan. Whether their enterprise was worth-while only history will be able to say. The Americans probably will regain possession of Kiska at an early date — but. by now, it is unlikely that weather conditions will permit the use of the Aleutians as a base tor air attack against the cities of Japan.

If the Allies plan large-scale air attacks against Japan it may be expected that they will attempt to use suitable areas in central and southern China. There is no indication of Allied strategy—we can only await the event.

Oct. 9: Stalingrad, reinforced, is still holding. Russian relief offensive, north west of city, is developing satisfactorily.

Oct. 10; US Navy bombers attacked a heavy concentration of enemy ships in the northern Solomons, and damaged five.

Oct. 12: As retaliation for the manacling of British officers and troops who were taken prisoner by the Germans in the Dieppe raid, 107 German officers and 1,269 men, prisoners in Canada, were placed in chains on Saturady.

This action by Britain is heartily ap proved by all those who believe that the only effective way of dealing with the Huns is to employ Hun methods. But more thoughtful people deplore the course that has been taken , obviously with the approval of the British Prime Minister. The latter say that, before German prisoners were manacled, Britain should have proved to the neutral world that she did not tie up or otherwise ill treat German prisoners taken by the British in the Dieppe raid. Then it would have been time to make retaliation for the ill-treatment of British prisoners by the Huns.

Oct. 12: A hundred tons of bombs were dropped on Rabaul by Allied aircraft on Friday and Saturday.

Oct. 13: Hudson bombers twice hit a 10,000-ton Japanese seaplane tender, in St. George’s Channel, between New Britain and New Ireland. Australians are in contact with the enemy in the Gap area of the Owen Stanley Range.

Oct. 13: There is a pronounced slack ening of the fighting in and around Stalingrad.

It now begins to appear as if th-e Russians have won the battle of Stalin grad. Stalingrad is now only a heap of ruins—a monument to Russia’s heroic dead—but the Russian defence is main tained, and this means that the Germans cannot establish the front they need along the Don and Volga Rivers. Russia remains an unbroken r powerful fighting machine, determined to avenge the hurts Russia has suffered during the past 15 7nonths. The repercussions of this situa tion may be tremendous.