Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-09-11 | Page 1 | [Illegible] Halt Jap Drive Coward Port Moresby

ies Halt Jap ward Word Port Moresby Mor J vy Continues in New Guinea emY Within 40 Miles of Allied Base lAC AC C ARTHUR HEADQUARTERS Australia Sept 11 UP l Kralian troops under Lieutenant Gen General ral Sidney Rowell 1 Salted halted the Japanese advance through the Owen Stanley tins ns toward Port Mor Moresby the allied stronghold o on the coast General Douglas announced Friday fighting continues in the 1 1 area and on both I iare p. p fare heavy I 7 from advanced bases ed d that the Japanese had haded hadi ed ed several miles fro from m i they had had outflanked Wednesday and andey andy ey y were now about 40 aires aires airis air- air is es from Port Moresby Part Parth h they had passed the part of the moun- moun I y were s still faced ced by sev- sev ridges on the westMinister westMinister west- west pes Minister John Curtin for a statement by worried o of the house of s at Canberra said that I d command had prepared j the position make no further an- an ment until a clearer picture lable ble he said But my information is that the atlon plans are being pro pro- pro pro-I 1 il I with th said that he be had been f J with General Mac- Mac 1 and Lieutenant General Sir Sirs s Blarney Australian com com- mander of united nations ground forces for the last 48 hours Curtin said that very high officers officers officers cers had visited New Guinea re recently re- re evidently evidently in expectation of the Japanese br through break through and and that MacArthur and Blarney were in constant contact with the command command com corn mand in New Guinea Supply Lines Attacked Allied planes supporting the troops opposing the Japanese advanCe advance advance ad ad- vance are concentrating their attack attack attack at at- tack on the Japanese supply lines which must become a bigger problem problem lem with every mile of the enemy advance MacArthurs MacArthur's que said Fighting g so far has been between between between be be- tween small forces the allied advanced advanced advanced ad ad- troops still have several ridges on which to fall fail back before the enemy can reach the open country toward the south coast the Japanese supply line Is now one of the most difficult Imaginable imaginable imaginable able and the allies apparently have firm control of the air for support of the ground forces On the other hand the enemy advance first from the Gona Buna-Gona north coast base then to and now nearly all the way across the mountains has made it impossible impossible sible to maintain allied patrols who for a long time kept contact with the Japanese on the north side