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SHORTENING LINE TO
PHILIPPINES
Three New Landings in
S.W. Pacific
"The Age" Special Representative
GENERAL MACARTHUR'S HEAD QUARTERS,
Tuesday, — American forces have possibly made their last
landing in New Guinea, A spokesman at head quarters
to-day announced a new unopposed landina in the Cane
Sansapor area and on the coastal islands of Amsterdam
and Middelburg,
Cape Sansapor is on the north
coast of the vogelkop Peninsula,
about 200 miles west of Nocmfopr
Island, and 60 miles east of So-
long. Amsterdam Is three and
Middelburg five miles off the
coast between Cape Sansapor and
Cape Goodehoop. The area forms
the most northerly part of New
Guinea, being only 30 miles from
the Equator and some 600 miles
from Mindanao, the southern
most island of the Philippines.
Tile landing was made on Sun
day morning, and although un
opposed was covered by an um
brella of more than 60 R-A.A.F.
Kittyhawks and by Australian
and American destroyers and
cruisers.
By the middle of Sunday morn
ing the desired objectives had
been seized and the landing force
was settling in. The landing in the
area and beaches, of which there
are several good ones, were not
bombarded before the landtag,
either from the sea or the' air.
As part of the supporting opera
tions, however, R.A.A.F. Beau-
forLs bombed and strafed enemv
installations along the south
coast of Dutch New Guinea from
Japero to Keawkwa.
Enemy Troops Isolated
One of the most important re
sults of the landtag will be fur
ther to neutralise the value of the
tag between Manokwari and So
rting will emphasise Its isolation.
The only route of escape left
to General Ikeda's troops would
be my barge down the coast of
Geelvink Bay to a point opposite
Maccluer Gulf and then by an
overl-and trek to Bab. An attempt
to use this route would necessi
tate movement by night and hid
ing by day, as our fighters and
P.T. boats have the entire coast
under surveillance.
The communique to-day says
the enemy Is no longer able ta
operate either by sea or air east
of the Halmahera-Phiiippines
line, which Is the main defence
cover for his conquered empire in
the South-west- Pacific. Should
this line go all of his conquests
south of China will be imperilled
and in grave danger of flank de
velopment.
The only enemy troops known
to ,e ta the Sansapor area con
sisted of a patrol of small
strength, and no contact has
been reported with it. Our planes
have attacked barges at Middel-
burg Island on previous occa-
slons. Although surrounded with
reefs, Middelburg has a small
jetty which runs out over the reef
and served a Chinese-owned
coconut, plantation on the island.
Both Middelburg and Sansapor
are -less than a mile square.
Liberators again struck Boela,
former Dutch oil base on Ceram
none Help
15,000 enemy troops at Manok
wari. This force, composed of
elements ot the 35th Division,
commanded by Lieut.-General
Shunklchi Ikeda, Is already, al
most completely deprived of sup1
piles and communications with
other enemy bases by our planes
and P-T. boats, but the new land-
Island, on Saturday, causing fires
and explosions ta the storage tank
areas. Off the east coast of
lightnings set on. fire a
3000-ton merchant vessel, and
near Amboina the same planes
damaged two ships, one of 7 5000
tons and the other a thousand
tonner.
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