Pacific News-Review

Notes And Comment On

The Progress Of The War

From Oct. 15 To Nov. 12

Oct. 15: In a naval engagement on October 11-12 north of Guadalcanal, the Japanese lost at least one heavy cruiser, four destroyers and a 5,000-ton transport.

America lost one destroyer.

Oct. 16: US submarines in Far Eastern waters have sunk a heavy cruiser, a medium-sized cargo vessel, a small cargo ship, a small tanker and a trawler.

Oct. 16: Germans launched new attacks in the Mosdok area of South-east Caucasus. Fighting around Stalingrad is spasmodic.

Oct. 16: Japanese shelled American base in Espiritu Santo (most northerly of New Hebrides group).

Oct. 16: Officially announced that American troops are stationed in New Hebrides, Fiji and New Zealand.

Oct. 17: With naval, air and ground units the Japanese are trying to eject US Marmes from Guadalcanal. A crucial sea and air battle is taking place.

October 19: Australians are pushing north across Owen Stanley Range, in Papua, and are now in possession of Templeton s Crossing.

Oct. 20: An American force has occupied Liberia, the negro republic on the west coast of Africa. The Axis flank and rear in North Africa and the Vichy stronghold at Dakar lie open to an Allied advance from the south. .

Oct. 20: Australian-based Flying Fortresses on Sunday made the heaviest raid in the Pacific War on Bum (BougainviHe) where three Jap cruisers, a seaplane tender, cargo ships and flying-boats are believed to have been damaged.

Oct. 20: Nazis strengthen their grip on Stalingrad by capturing another large block of buildings in industrial area. Garrison is now in gravest peril, as Germans have now driven almost to the Volga.

Oct. 23: The first snow has fallen in Stalingrad area. The ram-soaked steppes are great fields of mud, while freezing wmds are sweeping the battle-fields.

Enemy power is weakening.

Oct. 24: Rains, falling steadily in the Owen Stanley Range, are hampering Australian progress.

Oct. 24: After an unprecedented artillery barrage yesterday, the Eighth Army, in Egypt began an offensive against the Axis at 10 p.m.

Oct. 25: US warships, near Gilbert and Ellice group, sank two Japanese patrol vessels and damaged a destroyer and a a o« ma o KT * TV/T-! • Oct. 26. RAP blasts Milan m a day an o ? l i l ht^ tta ?Vf 1 fii 26 The battle still rages round Stalingrad Nazis mads small gams on Saturday but were thrown out again.

Alhe( s f £ rC6S m Eg l £ ave f>fo ny Jn r iH er fl amS ’ * Ut h ?w e wo g when the offensive began. The Allies have absolU rw° I o'7 l ? ai T d ° f tho air ' o , , Oct. 27. Japanese, on Sunday, landed cana 6 ! o * l no^ th ' eas t of Guadalcanal. Americans beat off four land attacks by Japanese, supported by tanks and artillery. Flying Fortresses are S mg E Sv ta Si dS t on en T y Ship ' ping. Eighty thousand tons of enemy Harbour damaged m Rab aul Oct V u“ bombers, based on China, iTnrt r thp de Tana on p gkong ’ f °- i h€ L first time net *9B The 0 e C co UP itoPiJi 1 a 0 • can held B ' rS^Ui™? aneSe attacked Amenland it P °d °t on Guadalcanal by land, air and sea. An Amencna destroyer was sunk, and an aircraft-carrier was severely damaged and subsequently

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snot down. Later, m a naval action, two enemy aircraft-carriers were damaged,

one cruiser was stopped north of Florida, and another cruiser was hit and a light cruiser left ablaze.

Oct. 29: In the Owen Stanley Range the Japs are still holding their entrenched positions just north of the Gap.

Oct. 29: Heavy fighting continues in Egypt, where the British Eighth Army is striving for a break-through.

Oct. 29: The Germans are still using large forces of tanks and infantry, trying to take Stalingrad’s industrial suburbs The battle for the city is in its 66th day In the Caucasus the Russians are strongly defending their positions Oct. 30: The Japs’ latest attack in the Solomons ended when the Japanese fleet was heavily defeated off the Stewart Islands, and withdrew to the north. The Americans retain all their positions Oct. 30: Japanese Imperial Headquar ters announced that Jap losses in the Solomons, August 25 to October 25 were 17 warships and transports sunk and damaged and 135 aircraft destroyed com pared with 25 US ships sunk or damaged.

Nov. 3: Attacking along the Egyptian coast, the enemy is trying to relieve the Axis forces which were trapped on Fri day by an Australian advance. A grim battle goes on, as the British strive for a break-through Nov. 3: Interest in the Russian front has shifted from Stalingrad to the Cau casus, where the Russians have with drawn on four successive days Nov. 3: In the great naval battle off Stewart Island (Solomons; two modern Jap aircraft-carriers, two Jap battleships and three cruisers were damaged and more than 100 aircraft were definitely destroyed and 50 more probably destroyed US losses were one aircraft-carrier and one destroyer. US Marines killed 2 000 Japanese troops on Guadalcanal last week, for 85 Marine casualties Nov. 4: Australians in the Owen Stan ley Range area have captured Kokoda and are advancing towards Oivi. A con voy attempting to land 7,000 Japanese reinforcements at Buna has been driven off. n o v. 4: The Eighth Army in Egypt advanced yesterday. Many prisoners were taken. A violent tank battle is in progress.

Nov. 5: An Allied Flying Fortress on reconnaissance over Bougainville saw 4 modern 14-inch-gun battleships, 3 air craft-carriers, 10 cruisers, 18 destroyers. and 9 transports. Another great naval battle is expected in the Solomons area.

N ov. 5: The British have broken through the Axis front in Egypt. Axis coastal forces have been cut off by the Australians, and their chances of escans ,essen as Rommel’s army begins a rapid retreat towards Libya. Nine thousand Axis prisoners have been taken; 260 Ger man and Italian tanks are known to have been destroyed at least 970 Hps. treyed or nut out of action, and 50,000 tons of shinning- sunk A P-reat Allied in sight Nov 7- Retreat of the Avis armies in Egypt is now almost a rout British have comnlete air mastery and desf-mpHon being wrought upon fleeing enemy col- Z’VdUribabl/”' 1 b ° mberS * aPPal ' ing Nov. 8: Large forces of Americans are landing in French Africa, on both Atlan tic and Mediterranean coasts, supported by the Royal Navy and Air Force Nov 8' Units of the Eighth Armv are nearing the Libyan border in mirsifit of

?he bfaten Axis forces PHsoners a?e

oVer 20 ’ 000 - Three Ita lian divisions which surrendered are not vet rminted

“noTI: officiary announced (hat dur

ing last month American air-borne troops were landed in north-east Papua, and have now penetrated to a point near Buna. The Japanese on the Kokoda- Buna road are now hemmed in on two sides.

Nov. 9: Algiers has surrendered to the Americans. There has been Vichy naval opposition at Casablanca, Algiers and Oran. Airfields were seized early and Allied planes are operating from them.

Vichy admits serious losses in a naval battle off Casablanca. Further American landings have been made, and troops are speedily advancing inland.

Nov. 9: Eighth Army continues pursuit of Rommel. Heavy concentrations of enemy transport were caught at Halfaya Pass and bombed. Axis prisoners now over 60,000, and 40,000 have been killed.

Nine hundred guns and 500 tanks have been captured or destroyed.

Nov. 10: In the New Guinea area, the struggle for Oivi, a village between Kokoda and Wairopi Bridge, is still in progress. The Japs have held the village for a week.

Nov. 11: Oran has surrendered to Americans and there is a possibility of a general armistice in French North Africa.

American units are advancing on Tunisia.

An armistice ultimatum at Casablanca was rejected by the French and fighting is proceeding.

Nov. 11: In a speech. Prime Minister Churchill said the “tide is now bearing us forward,” and sees in the operations in North Africa a move towards a second front.

Nov. 11: On the Russian front, all the fire has gone out of the German attack.

Winter is rapidly closing down.

Nov. 11: Some observers expect Italy to sue for an armistice, within a month.

Nov. 12: Axis forces have marched into Unoccupied France to “protect it from invasion.” Marshal Petain has protested to Hitler. Washington believes that many Vichy officials will flee to North Africa.

Admiral Darlan has been denounced by the Axis as a “traitor.” He appears to be in Algiers now, co-operating with the Allies. The French fleet is reported to have left Toulon to join the Allied forces.

Casablanca has fallen to the Americans.

Miss Etelle Nordman, daughter of Mr.

Oscar Nordman. of Tahiti, is now play ing in small parts in films in Hollywood.

A writer in an American magazine describes her as “the Tahitian-American lovely.” Mr. Charles Nordhoff, the Tahi tian-American author, wrote recently that he saw her acting in “The Moon and Sixpence.”

Mrs. Elizabeth Mahony, well known as a pioneer of Sudest Island (Eastern Papua) and who is held in high esteem by all the early miners and planters of Eastern Papua, has been living at 23 Woodstock Street, Bondi Junction, Syd ney, for the past two years. She still enjoys good health and takes a keen interest m Papuan affairs. She was a resident of the Bathurst district, NSW, for some years after leaving Papua, Mr. Lewis Hirshon, a well-known resi dent of Papeete. Tahiti, died on Septem ber 1, after a short illness.

Mr. Alfred Poroi, who has been elected Mayor of Papeete, in place of Mr Leonce Brault (resigned), is assist ant manager of the Union Steamship Co. in Papeete. He is a young man, and a member of a very old and well-respected Tahitian family.