Show Allies Crush Last Pocket of Ja Japanese an se at Buna Bunai I Turn to Mopping Up of Garrison of-Garrison Stragglers By DON CASWELL MAC ARTHUR HEADQUARTERS Australia Jan 5 UP j United States and Australian troops have wiped out the last Japanese resistance In the Buna area of northern New Guinea by I smashing a small enemy pocket inland from the captured d area re reports reports reports re- re ports from the front said Tuesday About 50 Japanese bodies were were found In the pocket area Mopping up parties combed the coconut groves for possible oss ble stragglers stragglers t Isolated from th the force torce that defended th the pocket to the death American and Australian troops were were moving toward point 2 miles from Buna village to attack the last remaining organized organized organized or or- enemy troops In the Papuan area of New Guinea Dispatches reported that they were already advancing along the coast leading to the enemy beachhead beachhead beachhead beach beach- head at point and arid had captured an enemy machine gun post Australian artillery and mortars went into action bombing positions positions positions around the point Consolidated Liberator heavy bombers attacked the enemy strong points Monday and Douglas Havoc attack bombers cannonaded and machine gunned their posts on the trail the inland trail Other planes of ot General Douglas Doug Doug- las MacArthurs air force opened a heavy Jap Japanese nes bases bases in in the north New Guinea area from which help might have been sent t to the point garrison General MacArthurs que announced that the Australian and United States troops who had driven the Japanese from their last defense in the Buna area were regrouping preparatory to the attack on point Reports to headquarters said that about 50 stragglers were taken Monday and many prisoners prison prison- ers had been captured At least Japanese troops had been killed d or captured during the week end The largest group of ot otene ene enemy y troops remaining in the Buna area about were surrounded surrounded sur sur surrounded rounded in the coconut groves in inland inland inland in- in land from the beach Preparing the way for the attack attack attack at at- tack on point Martin Marauder B 26 medium bombers dropped pound bombs on the en enemy my positions and Douglas A 20 attack bombers made 12 cannonading cannonading cannoni cannon cannon- i ading and machine gunning sweeps over the enemy lines and along the trail leading Inland Marauders and Havocs raided the airdrome and near-by near Installations installations installations at Lae the big enemy base in the northeastern New Guinea mandated area are miles northwest northwest northwest north north- west of Buna Bun on the Huon gulf They destroyed three grounded Japanese planes and started fires in hangars and the base building area with their pound bombs and the Havocs sprayed the entire entire entire en en- tire airdrome with machine gun and cannon fire An allied rec reconnaissance plane attacked a Japa Japanese ese supply ship heavily ily laden and carrying a a. de of sacked freight as it entered Finsch harbor around the corner of ot the gulf from Lae and miles north of Buna Giant Consolidated ted B 24 Liberator Liberator Liberator Libera Libera- tor bombers dropped pound 1000 bombs on the airdrome runway and gun positions at on the south coast of ot New Britain island miles northeast o of Buna and reconnaissance planes attacked an enemy schooner in Jacquinot bay 80 miles east of or |