Show t Powerful Marine Forces Land on i Isle Esle Without Loss LossI Seize More Beachheads on New Britain Frantic Jap Aerial Opposition Fails As Allies Bag 61 Planes at Cost of Seven By Associated Press toughened Battle American marines plunged the dagger of inv invasion sio i into th the vital western tip of New Brit Britain n Sunday and reports from allied headquarters Monday said they were ing ng toward the Cape Gloucester airdrome I One of the mightiest forces to toland toland land on hostile hostile shores In the Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- sar swarmed ed ashore in two simultaneous simultaneous simul simul- l' l landings on the Cape Gloucester Glou Glou- 1 cester celter area are without the loss los o of a i single man and with the sinking of only oily a small allied escort vessel Major General William S. S Ru Ru- 1 pertus commanded marine veterans veterans veter veter- ans of Guadalcanal G in a coordinated j ed sea land operation which assured assured assured as as- the allies control of the straits between en New Britain Brit Brit- J I am ain and New Guinea and the enemy enemy enemy ene ene- my communication lines from I there to Japanese forces on 01 upper New Guinea I Japs Lose 61 Plan Planes s The Th western link of t. t the e supply j route was wac cut off by U. U S. S Sixth I army forces force w who o landed at on the southwest coast of New I Britain Dec December mb r 15 15 and have since established establish d' d da a a a. firm hold on the beachhead is 60 miles southeast of Cape The The Japanese offered fr frantic aerial opposition to the Cape Gloucester o c ter la landings but it cost them 36 bombers bomber and 25 fighters rs Seven allied planes failed to return re re- re- re I turn 1 The main marine force landed between Borgen bay and point A subsidiary beachhead ad II i iI I. I I was won across the tip of the I island and south of Dampier strait j American forces in addition oc- oc I Long island strait which neighbors Dapier The landings climaxed a relentless relentless relent relent- II less IMs bombing ca campaign to soften I up the Cape Gloucester area for invasion on and coincided w with new siw I blows at other Japanese islands holdings in the southwest and central central central cen cen- Pacific which cost them heavily heavily heavily ily in ships planes and r d installations Chinese Seize f The Chinese added to the plight of the Nipponese They captured capture t I from where the Invaders had launched one of their attacks on the central rice Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- I ari anese se continued to retreat at northward northward northward north north- ward after giving up four-fifths four of the Jo food d supply sector in Hunan province Amid further Indications of enemy enemy enemy ene ene- my my efforts to reinforce e threatened positions the allies resumed the I ContIne on Per Pat Two Column Three II S Marines Invade InvadeS New Britain At AI More Points S Continued From Page One due aerial campaign to neutralize Raaul Ra- Ra a- a baul aul the main Jap Japanese nese base on New Britain with three week-end week attacks which cost the enemy 71 planes lanes and probably 90 in all The raiders lost 15 planes Northwest of carrier- carrier based ased planes from the south Pacific Pacific Pa- Pa sank a destroyer two large cargo argo ships and three barges at New Ireland They also damaged a destroyer a patrol boat oat several small cargo ships and nd barges Another enemy ship ship ship-a a trans trans- received port ort received a direct hit south of f Island in the New Ireland area rea At on the southwest southwest southwest south south- west of New Britain a Boston attack plane sank a Japanese coastal vessel loaded with w-ith troops Enemy airdromes along both coasts of New Britain were attacked at at- tacked tacked with the main weight thrown against Cape Gloucester in n two thrusts Allied fliers dropped an and 1 tons of f bombs on defense installations In n that area The landing operation operation opera- opera tion ion itself was preceded by naval shelling helling and a ton aerial at at- tack ack S Capture Village Across the Dampier straits from Cape Gloucester Australians whore who are re gradually pushing the Japanese Japa- Japa nose icse from front the Huon peninsula of New Guinea s seized the coastal coast l village vil- vil lage age of 20 miles northwest northwest northwest north north- west of held allied-held In the Solomons both naval and all air ir units pumped explosives into Japanese positions on Bougainville and nd probably expedited the one one- mys my's withdrawal from the southern south- south ern rn half of the island While bombers bomb- bomb ers rs and attack planes made attacks attacks at- at tacks acks on a wide scale cruisers md destroyers poured rounds into into nto the Buka Bonis-Buka area on the north orth end of Bougainville Army and navy Liberators probably probably ably bly sank a small enemy transport transport trans- trans port ort off raided Mill and nd started fires on all atolls tolls in the Marshall islands and attacked little Nauru island miles west of the won American-won Gilberts Heavy interception was encountered at in the form of f 35 enemy planes Three were shot hot down The Japanese struck five times at t Tarawa December 22 and 23 and nd staged four raids on on Makin both oth in the Gilberts Only slight damage amage was reported at Tarawa none one at all at Makin 60 miles away way |