Pacific News-Review

Notes And Comment On

The Progress Of The War

From Nov. 17 To Dec. 13

Nov. 17: The German canal line in Holland is broken and the British have joined the general push towards the Reich. Six Allied armies, in a 400-miles front from the River Maas to the Swiss border, are now attacking in the second day of a great offensive.

Nov. 17: It was announced in Canberra to-day that approximately 600 AIF pri soners of war were abandoned by the Japanese, and presumably lost their lives, when a transport on which they were being taken to Japan was torpedoed in the Western Pacific on September 12.

There were 92 Australian survivors. They were picked up by aUS submarine. This evidence of Japanese barbarity has pro foundly shocked Australia.

Nov. 19: British troops are now six miles inside Germany. The Germans have evacuated the large rail and road centre of Geilenkirchen.

Nov. 19: The Japanese Government has reported that 184 Australian prisoners were lost and 72 were saved when a transport on which they were travelling to Japan, last June, was torpedoed. This disaster is not to be confused with that announced on November 17, when 600 Australians were left to drown.

JSTov. 20: French forces have reached the Rhine through the Belfort Gap.

Nov. 21: The Germans are retreating along the whole of the 100-miles front from south-east Sarrebourg, through Alsace and Lorraine, to the foot of the

Vos'ges Mountains.

Nov. 23: British and American troops in Germany are advancing in torrential rain and against fierce opposition, to wards the Roer River and points guard ing Cologne.

Nov. 24: US Super-Fortresses to-day launched an attack on Tokio factories and hydro-eleclric plants. The bombers flew from Saipan, in the Marianas—3,4oo miles the round trip.

Nov. 26: US troops, developing an encircling movement on Saarbrucken, advanced 20 miles at the week-end. In the Aachen sector, the American First Army has broken through the Hurtgen Forest.

Nov. 27: At least 100 Super-Fortresses, from Saipan, attacked Tokio again to-day —the second time within four days.

Nov. 28: Strong German panzer for mations are being used to cover the Ger man retreat from the Americans in northern Alsace. The American threat to the Saar basin is growing.

Nov. 29: The third raid in six days was made yesterday by American bomb ers on Tokio.

Dec. 1: On the western European front the battle for the Roer River is nearly won. This is the first objective on the Allied three-army drive towards Cologne.

Dec. 3: Tokio was attacked to-day for the fourth time within nine days. This is reported to be the most successful raid on the city to date.

Dec. 3: Greek police this morning fired on demonstrating crowds in Athens for 25 minutes, wounding and killing many.

The demonstrators were members of EAM (Left-wing Resistance Movement) who refuse to recognise the Greek National Government under Prime Minis ter Papandreou, or the authority of the British Commander in Greece, General Scobie. Members of ELAS, the guerilla forces attached to the movement, have also refused to hand over their arms.

EAM has called a general strike in Athens and Salonika and normal life is entirely disrupted. The unloading of food and relief ships has come to a standstill.

EAM demand the right to choose the Government they want. The British Government declares that Greece is in no condition to choose its Government under present circumstances, that EAM repre sents only a small minority which has temporarily seized the stage, and that since the German occupation of Greece in 1941 they have worked only to this end.

Dec. 4: The battle for Hungary has taken a critical turn for the Germans.

Russian forces are now driving the enemy back towards the Austrian frontier at the rate of 15-20 miles per day.

Dec. 6: A pitched battle between British troops and the ELAS (Greek Left-wing guerilla forces) was fought in Athens this morning. In defiance of Greek Govern ment and General Scobie’s orders, these guerillas have advanced into the city, fir ing on British guards and Greek police posts. There is danger of the whole of Greece being plunged into civil war.

Dec. 6: Russian armoured columns stormed through the last important Ger man defence position in Hungary, at the south-west end of Lake Balaton, which opens the way across the plains to Vienna.

Dec. 7: RAF Spitfires and Beaufighters resumed the air assault against ELAS on the outskirts of Athens.

Dec. 7: The Russians are 40 miles from the Austrian frontier. Four German armies have been brought up to reinforce those resisting the Red Army offensive.

Dec. 8: Mr. Churchill defended Britain’s Grecian pblicy in the House of Commons to-day. A vote of confidence in the British Government’s policy in liberated countries was carried by 279 votes to 30.

Many Members refrained from voting.

Dec. 10: The Hungarian Cabinet has fled from Budapest to a town on the Aus trian border. Red Army units broke the German defences north-east of Budapest and advanced 40 miles on a. 75-miles front.

Dec. 10: American troops who made a surprise landing on Ipil, Leyte (Philip pines) on December 7, are attacking the outskirts of Ormoc, main Japanese base on the west coast.

Dec. 11: American troops have captured Ormoc. main Japanese base and port of entry on west coast of Leyte. Jap forces on the island are now virtually trapped and these is little hope of their fighting a long delaying action, although much mopping-up and perhaps frontal fighting remains to be done by the Americans.

Dec. 12: Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, C-in-C of the newly-created British Pacific Fleet, has arrived in Melbourne, Australia. It is expected that the Fleet itself will arrive shortly and be based initially on Sydney and Melbourne.

There will be no change in responsibility for the Pacific theatre of war—that will remain with the United States. The new British Fleet will operate under the direction of Admiral Nimitz in the Cen tral Pacific, and General MacArthur in the South-west Pacific.

Dec. 12: Russian attacking columns have smashed their way into the out skirts of Budapest, where desperate hand to-hand and house-to-house fighting is being waged.

Dec. 13: The Americans are pushing across Alsace; they have captured Hague nau, communications centre in the north, and are rapidly throwing the Germans but of the remaining part of occupied France.

General Patton’s enveloping offensive against the Saar Basin is progressing

well. All Allied bridgeheads across the Saar River are being held against strong panzer and infantry counter-attacks, Dec. 13: Another Japanese convoy, while trying to land supplies and re inforcements on Leyte (Philippines) has been successfully attacked by American air forces operating in the area. The convoy had a stronger fighter cover than is usually sent out with these fleets.

The Americans sank four transports, three destroyers; damaged two transports and one destroyer. The Japs 'managed to rush some supplies ashore on the west coast of Leyte.