In New Guinea, jungle-wise Australians mopped up the Huon Peninsula. Along rugged, malaria-ridden trails, with the help of Matilda tanks, they pushed converging columns toward Jap outposts. Their immediate objective: to clear the enemy from the hinterland of Finschhaven, the port captured almost two months ago by a bold amphibious stroke (TIME, Oct. 4). From Finschhaven some 70 miles of blue water lead to Jap-held New Britain: across that island's curving 300 miles lies Rabaul.
The Aussies, moving slowly over a peninsula as big as Connecticut, had support from Allied air and sea arms. The New Britain shore nearest New Guinea took...