Pacific News-Review

Notes And Comment On

The Progress Of The War

From Dec. 12 To Jan. 14

Dec. 12; Gona has fallen to the Aus tralians, and fighting in Papua has intensified around Buna, where American troops have dug themselves in. The “wet” season has begun in earnest in this region and is hampering operations.

Dec. 14; Fierce fighting continues in Tunisia.

It is apparent that the Germans have beaten the Allies in the race for Bizerta and Tunis, and at least 50,000 seasoned and well-equipped Germans oppose the Americans and the British First Army.

Dec. 14; The situation in Russia seems to be bordering on a stalemate, although fierce fighting is reported on all fronts.

The Russians still claim that 135,000 Ger man troops are completely surrounded on the Kuban steppes, in the region west of Stalingrad.

Dec. 15: After unprecedented RAF straffing, the Eighth Army has broken through Rommel’s positions near El Agheila (Libya) and the Afrika Korps is again retreating towards Tripoli.

Dec. 15: Another Japanese convoy, attempting to reinforce Japanese troops in the Solomons area, was smashed by American aircraft and naval craft.

Dec. 17: The German Afrika Korps is now 100 miles westward of El Agheila.

Dec. 17: The Nazis are reported to be pouring into Italy and taking over the Mediterranean aerial defences. The Axis* evidently assumes that, if the Allies gain Tunisia, they will attempt to invade Italy through Sardinia and Sicily.

Dec. 18: Axis forces retreating in Tri politania have been cut in two by a British outflanking movement. A force, mostly New Zealanders, made a wide half-circle through the desert, and came back upon the coastal road, thus cutting off the tail of the Afrika Korps.

Dec. 19: Bitter fighting is continuing around Buna Mission, in New Guinea.

Our planes are straffing enemy positions, but there is no weakening of Japanese resistance.

Dec. 20: British troops have commenced an advance into Western Burma.

Much is hoped from this move by those who can see no prospect of defeating the Japanese by advancing upon them through the Islands, but only by a smash ing attack upon them, based upon the mainland of Asia.

Dec. 21: The Red Army has begun a powerful new offensive, and has broken through the German lines on a wide front on the Don, south of Voronesh, Dec. 22: German attempts to check the Russian advance on the middle Don front have failed, and the Russians are extend ing their grip on the Rostov railway.

Dec. 22: An Australian light tank unit went into action against Japanese fortifi cations in the Buna district. The Jap strongpoints now are being systematically reduced.

Dec. 24: Russian tank forces now have made a full-scale break-through in the middle Don area, and are sweeping across the Ukrainian border.

Dec. 24: Admiral Darlan, recently appointed Fighting French High Com missioner in • French North Africa, was assassinated in Algiers by a young Frenchman, who was immediately court martialled and executed.

There is much serious political unrest in North Africa, the result of intrigues and competition for power between the old supporters of General de Gaulle, and the former Vichy-ites. The killing of Darlan removes a real headache for the United Nations, because he was unaccept able to General de Gaulle and the Fighting French.

Dec. 26: The Russians are advancing quickly in a new offensive in the Cau casus. They have broken the German line in a number of places.

Dec. 28; Gen. Giraud, in charge of French Forces in North Africa, is to succeed Admiral Darlan as French High Commissioner in North Africa.

General de Gaulle made the following statement on January 2; “Internal con fusion is growing in North Africa and in French West Africa . . .

“The remedy for this situation is the establishment, in North Africa and French West Africa, as in all the other French overseas territories, of a tempor ary and enlarged central power, having as a basis national unity, for inspiration a spirit of war and liberation, for appli cation the laws of the Republic until the nation is able to make its wishes known.

That is the tradition of French democ racy. It is thus that in 1870, after the fall of the Empire, those in charge of national defence took temporary power in the name of the Republic to direct the nation’s war effort.

“In accord with the French National Committee and with the Council for the Defence of the Empire, I proposed to General Giraud to meet him immediately on French territory to study the means of attaining this end. I believe that the situation of France and the general situa tion of the war, does not permit of anv delay.”

Dec. 29: The Russians now are only 80 miles from Rostov, chief German supply base and reserve centre in Southern Russia.

Dec. 29: The Japs are still resisting stubbornly in the Buna area in Papua, in spite of Allied air supremacy. Japan ese losses in New Guinea in the last few days include 4 ships and 31 planes.

Dec. 31: The Russians are now beyond Kotelnikovo, the last German operational base within 100 miles of Stalingrad.

Dec. 31: Allies occupied the aerodrome at Buna, and Americans have driven a wedge through to the beach.

Jan. 2: Twenty Japanese planes were destroyed in a battle over Lae on and about New Year’s Day.

Jan. 4: Buna government station occupied by Allies.

Jan. 4: The Russians are still advanc ing. They have captured Velikiye Luki, an important place 280 miles NW of Moscow, and have made further gains on the Don and Caucasus fronts. The threat to the Caucasus oil-fields is now removed.

Jan. 5: The Japanese have suffered a “conclusive defeat” at Buna, Papua, and during operations around this area they have lost 1,200 killed.

Jan. 6: Moves by the Japanese to con solidate themselves in the South-west Pacific, along a line running from the Solomons through New Guinea to Timor are, it is believed, foreshadowed by recent happenings, which include: (1) An armada-like concentration of enemy shipping at Rabaul. (2) Frantic enemy haste to get into commission a husre aerodrome at Munda, in New Georgia (Solomons), (3) Intensification of enemy activities in Portuguese Timor. (4) The desperate enemy determination to yield, only by death, any footholds in Papua. (5) Enemy use, in waters near Australia, of reconnaissance planes flown from sub marines.

Jan. 7: Allied planes made a devastat ing raid on the Jap armada in Rabaul on Tuesday. Eight merchant vessels and one naval craft were destroyed (estimated

aggregate of 50,000 tons), and six enemy planes shot down.

Jan. 7: RAF carried out widespread raids on Jap positions in Burma.

Jan. 8; The Germans are still yielding ground in South Russia, near Rostov, and the Russians now are only 50 miles from the city.

Jan. 8: The Germans recaptured two hills which Allied troops had seized in Tunisia.

Jan. 9: In continuous attacks on a Japanese convoy of 10 ships, steaming towards Lae, NG, on Thursday, Allied air forces sank two transports and shot down 181 Zero fighters.

Jan, 9: The German forces in the Caucasus area now are reported to be in full retreat.

Jan. 11; Only “fragmentary” Japanese reinforcements were landed at Lae from the convoy. Allied air forces sank three transports, beached another, and des troyed 84 enemy aircraft in combat.

Jan. 11: Fighting French forces from the Lake Chad (North Africa) area, have thrust northwards into Libya and are only 270 miles from the Eighth Army’s position, where it faces Rommel’s rear guard at Wadi Zem Zem.

Jan. 12: The Red armies, after a fort night of resounding successes in South Russia, are now threatening Rostov and Salysk. The Germans must hold these towns if they hope to extricate their forces from the Kuban steppes, Jan. 12: Except for a small number of Japanese strongly entrenched on Sana nanda Point, the enemy have been cleared out of Papua. Most of the Jap army of 15,000, and its commander, General Horii, which landed on the north-east coast of Papua, has been destroyed.

Jan. 13: The lull in North Africa con tinues and only patrol activity is reported from both Tunisia and Tripolitania, where the Eighth Army is operating against Rommel. There is bad weather over all this region. The Allies are bringing new troops against the Axis armies in Tunis and Bizerta, but the lat ter are now powerfully entrenched at least 30 miles south of both cities.

Jan. 13: The fighting in Papua nears a climax, with the Japanese withdrawn into the narrow salient of Sanananda Point, with both flanks protected by swamps.

Allied headquarters have announced that the campaign in north-eastern Papua is virtually over, with the Japan ese remnant of the original army of 15,000 completely surrounded, and doomed to surrender or destruction.

Jan. 14; Two Soviet forces have linked up in South Russia, about 80 miles from Mosdok. Violent battles continue along the River Don, where the Germans now are making a determined attempt to hold up the Russian advance.

Jan. 15: Due to heavy rain, the Sana nanda region is now a swamp, and the Allied forces attacking the Japanese remnant have been held up.