Pacific News-Review

Notes And Comment On

The Progress Of The War

From Sep. 15 To Oct. 14

Sep. 15: Fighting at Salerno, on the west coast of Italy, has reached a critical stage. The Germans, counter-attacKing witn all they have, have forced the Fifth Army (American and British) to give ground in some places. The Eignth Army, which has captured Cozenza, aoout 110 miles to the south-east, is making rapid progress, so as to link up with the Fifth Army in the north.

Sep. 15: The Russians, continuing their great offensive with apparently increas ing strength, have forced the Germans out of Bryansk. Russian forces have also penetrated Novorossisk (Black Sea naval base).

Sep. 15: Since the Allies captured Sala maua (New Guinea) on Sunday morning, lull pressure has been exerted against Lae, and this Jap-held base is expected to fall soon.

Sep. 16: Allied forces at Salerno (west coast of Italy) yielded further ground yesterday. Allies have occupied the island of Capri, off Naples.

Sep. 16: Several Jap strongpoints near Lae have been captured. Australian artillery is firing on the township.

Sep. 18: The Fifth and Eighth Armies have linked up in Italy and the bridge head crisis is said to have ended around Salerno.

Sep. 18: Japs lost another 58 planes over Wewak (New Guinea) during the week. Japanese reinforcements have been brought continuously to this area from Hollandia, Sep. 18: The Russians have intensified their offensive and have launched a drive for Smolensk.

Sep. 20: Australians have captured Lae in New Guinea. The remnants of the Japanese garrison, who escaped into the mountains, are being mopped up.

Sep. 20: Both Fifth and Eighth Armies in Italy are now advancing, and the Nazis, for the first time, admit with drawal. The Allies now have complete air supremacy over the area.

Sep. 21; British have occupied Castrel Orizo, the most easterly of the Dodecan ese Islands.

Sep. 21: The Nazis, resisting strongly, are falling back all along the Dnieper River line, on the Russian front.

Sep. 22: Mr. Churchill, in the Com mons, said there will be a mass invasion of Europe from the west, at the right time. The Mediterranean battlefront at no time was designed as a second front— it is a third front.

Sept. 22: The Fifth Army has driven the Germans back 30 miles on the Sal erno front, and are approaching Naples.

Sep. 22: The Germans now are retreat ing everywhere along the Russian front, from north of Smolensk to the Sea of Azov.

Sep. 22: In US raids on the Gilbert Islands at the week-end, four Japanese vessels were damaged. The raiders made more than 200 sorties against Tarawa, Makin, Apemama, and Nauru, on Satur day and Sunday.

Sep. 23: The Eighth Army captured the important road and rail junction of Potenza (60 miles east of Salerno) strengthening the Allied line across Southern Italy, south of Naples.

Sep. 23: The advancing Russians are in sight of Kiev. The Germans are counter-attacking with considerable tank forces.

Sep. 23: Australian air-borne troops captured the enemy-held airstrip at Kaiapit (about 60 miles north-west of Lae, NG).

Sep. 24: Australian troops landed on Sep. 22 six miles north of Finschhafen,

NG, supported by sea and air units, and are advancing upon the harbour area.

The country here is more open and there are few swamps.

Sep. 24; The German forces are form ing a defensive ring north of Naples while, in the city, they are burning, loot ing and killing, and destroying the great harbour works.

Sep. 27: Russians, on the 24th, cap tured Smolensk, most important pivot of the Germans’ Dnieper River defence line.

Millions of men and great numbers of tanks are employed in this Dnieper battle, which is described as the great est since the Hindenburg line was smashed in 1918.

Sep. 27: British Eighth Army units, on the west coast of Italy, threaten Foggia, big air base and road and rail junction.

Sep. 28: The great battle for the Dnieper River crossings is now in full swing. It is reported that the Russians are investing Kiev. South-west of Smolensk, the Red Army has entered White Russia.

Sep. 29: Yugoslav and Croat patriots are fighting to maintain their hold on the Dalmatian (Adriatic) coast). The Germans are pouring reinforcements into the Balkans and occupying Bulgaria in force.

Sep. 28: Japanese troops at Finsch hafen are hemmed in by Australians and, although their resistance is fanatical, their position is hopeless.

Sep. 29: Eighth Army has taken Fog gia, vital air Dase 85 miles north-east of Naples.

Sep. 29: Great gaps made by the Rus sian Army in the Germans’ Dnieper River line, make it possible to shatter the whole German front. The Germans are trying, at all costs, to stop the Rus sians crossing the Dnieper. If they do not, the Russian Army in White Russia will threaten the German rear on the Leningrad front; the three Red armies in Kiev will roll up the whole southern front; and the Russian advance towards the Dneiper mouth will cut off the Ger man armies in the Crimea.

Sep, 30: The Fifth Army has smashed the German defences at Naples. British troops have entered Pompeii (12 miles from Naples).

Sep. 30: Between Kiev and Dneprope trovsk, strong Soviet forces have crossed the Dnieper and established a bridge head.

Sep, 30: A 200-bomber raid was car ried out over the Wewak area, NG, on 27th; 50 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground; three tankers were set on fire and left sinking; four merchant ships were sunk or badly damaged; 29 barges and luggers sunk or damaged.

Oct. 1: Wewak got another smashing blow on the 28th, when bombers, escorted by fighters, dropped 145 tons of bombs and blew up the main enemy ammuni tion dump on the peninsula.

Oct. 2: Americans, of the Fifth Army, have occupied Naples. The Germans fled, leaving the city in flames. The Ger mans may retreat to a line south of Rome, about 100 miles north of Naples.

Oct. 3: Yesterday, the Ninth Australian Division captured Finschhafen, NG.

Other Australian units, pressing on over the Markham-Ramu Divide, are now 90 miles from Madang.

Oct. 5; The Eighth Army made a sur prise landing at Termoli (50 miles NW of Foggia, on Adriatic coast of Italy).

Oct. 7: Australians, driving down the Ramu Valley, are within 35 miles of the enemy base of Boradjim, on the coast, south-east of Madang.

Oct. 8: Fifth and Eighth Armies in

Italy are meeting stubborn resistance and rain has also further hampered opera tions. German radio announces that German paratroops have occupied the Holy City, in Rome, and taken over the “protection” of the Vatican. Some sources suggest that the Germans may try to carry away the Pope, as a hostage.

Oct. 8; A strong attack by a US naval force on Wake Island is reported.

Oct. 9; In spite of autumn rains, Rus sians began a surprise offensive and are storming the Dnieper River at three places. They drove a wedge between the north and central German armies by capturing Neval.

Oct. 9: The former Japanese strong hold in the Solomons, Vila, and the whole of the southern portion of Kolom bangara Island, are being abandoned by the enemy. The Japs are trying to evac uate this area by night, and our air craft and light naval forces are taking heavy toll of their barges, Oct. 9: The Fifth Army captured Capua in Italy (on the Volturno River, 20 miles north of Naples). Capua is the key to the Volturno defence line.

Oct. 10: General Chiang Kai-shek sworn in as President of the Chinese Republic.

Oct. 11: Russians’ three powerful drives threaten to cut all the German forces in Russia into isolated groups. Moscow Radio reports that eight full Russian divisions, with artillery, now have crossed the Dnieper River.

Oct. 11: In Italy, Fifth Army and Ger mans are massed along the Volturno River, on opposite banks. A decisive battle, for Rome, is expected soon.

Oct. 11; American destroyers sank a Japanese cruiser and two destroyers con voying transport craft off Vella Lavella (Solomons). American losses are “mod erate.”

Oct. 12: Allied bombers, in most devastating raid of Pacific war, to-day attacked Rabaul and destroyed or dam aged 177 Jap planes, 49 ships, 70 harbour craft.

Oct. 12: Red armies in White Russia now 15 miles from Vitebsk (great Ger man base on the Dvina River). German line north of Kiev has fallen.

Oct. 12: Allied forces have occupied last enemy stronghold on Kolombangara (Solomons). Japs now control only Choi seul and Bougainville Islands, between Americans and Rabaul.

Oct. 13: Portugal has permitted Britain to occupy the Azores, thus giving Britain invaluable mid-Atlantic base for opera tions against U-boats. Portugal’s neu trality policy is otherwise unchanged.

Oct. 13: Italy has declared war on Ger many. Marshal Badcglio says that there will be no peace in Italy while a single German remains on her soil.

Oct. 14: British land, sea and air forces have landed in the Azores. Precautions are being taken in Portugal against pos sible German reprisals.

Oct. 14: The Germans are evacuating Kiev, Russia’s third city. leaving behind them a place blackened by fire and wreckage.

Mr. W. L. Hunt, who was second engineer on the Gilbert and Ellice Gov ernment yacht, “Nimanoa,” when she was put on the reef at Tarawa, in December, 1941, to keep her out of Jap hands, and who subsequently returned to Fiji, has left the service of the Western Pacific Commission.