Austral ian sPlay Decisive Par tin Egypt Battle ~*P. 3 .HIGH, TIDES: 4.57 A.M.. 4.52 P.M. SYDNEY SUN ROSE 5.54 A.M.. SETS 7.25 r.M. DAILY ¦MIRROR Rr-t.strrod at the General Post office, Svdnev lor transmission by post as a newspaper LATEr FINAI Telephones: Business— BW3741 (6 lines),\ Telfph (10 lines). No. 162. SYDNEY ,TUES DAY ,NOV EMBER 3.19(10 lines). P lk C E ,2(1. KOKODA CARED AS ALLIES DRIVE ION Landing Attempt At Buna Smashed (Daily Mirror World Cables and Special Correspondents.) i CAPTURE of Kokoda, Japanese stronghold on the northern side of the Owen Stanley Range in New Guinea, 60 miles from Buna, is the highlight of today's news from the north-eastern area, where the Allies are jtiarryfug f h r retreating Japanese with a series of telling blows on land,on sea and in the air. O I V I ,towards which the Jap- San es e are re tr ea tin gin New i Guinea ,is lage nlnn# ward from which has n foe the f la~w n ding field sin inland parts o f the island .Kitty Bluett’s Letter j(On Alleged Blue Johes Replies To Radio Chief Miss -Kitty Bluet t ,popular comedienne ,who is faced with being ban ned from the air for alleged “blue jokes ,”y ester day sent a letter o f exp natal ion b y airmail t o the Direct or-G rene a fol Posts and T lee graph sin Melbourne .TACK DAVEY. well-known radio *'artist, said today that he also had posted his explanation, but declined to discuss the contents until he had received a reply. The letters to Jack Davey and Kitty Bluett from the Postm aster-General Departments called upon them to show cause within 14 days why an order A Japanese attempt to land large reinforcements at Buna, on the northern coast of New Guinea, was frustrated by Allied bombers, which battered the convoy and forced it to retire to the north. Japanese on Guadalcanal, in the Solomons, are retreating before determined American land assaults. Fighters and dive-bombers have silenced enemy artillery, and the marines have advanced two miles. •Washington announces the destruction by U.S. submarines of another seven Japanese ships and damage to three others in the western and southern Pacific. A converted aircraft carrier was left inflames and a destroyer damaged. •Heavy damage was caused by a medium-bomber attack on Dilli and enemy installations at Bobonaro, Timor. Barracks and buildings were hit, fires started and enemy personnel strafed. Direct Hits Score dOn Two Tran sports The convoy which attempted the Buna landing consisted o f two transports o f approximately 10,000 and 12,000 tons, carrying about 7000 troops. It was escorted b y alight cruiser and a destroyer, and had a protective umbrella o f nine Zeros. Jack Davey. Kitty Bluett. should not be made directing that they be prohibited from broadcasting for such period as the Postmaster- General may determine. The circulars followed complaints by the Good Film and Radio Vigilance League to the Committee on Broadcasting concerning alleged “blue jokes” put over in the session entitled “Ladies First,” broadcast from station 2GB on August 3. In her reply, Miss Bluett gave the following reasons for requesting exoneration from the charges:—“ I do not write or prepare the script I am engaged to take part in programmes, and nave no option but to read what is placed before m e failing to read whit is written. I jeopardise m y only means o f livelihood." rl''HE convoy was attacked by Flying |Fortresses as it was approaching I the New Guinea coast. Concentrat- I ing on the transports, the Fortresses i scored several near-misses, which damaged one vessel to such an extent that the convoy altered course and steamed north-east towards Nfew Britain. North American bombers renewed the attack during the afternoon and scored near-misses which damaged both transports. Then Fortresses took up the pursuit towards dusk. The convoy was still steaming away from New Guinea when the large Allied machines swept over it. A direct hit was scored on one transport which, when last seen, was blazing fiercely near Gasmata, New Britain. The presence o f increased numbers o f Zeros in New Guinea and this latest attempt to reinforce the hard- pressed Japanese, who are retreating towards Buna, indicates the seriousness with which the enemy regards the situation and his determination not to relinquish Papua without a struggle. Referring to the recapture o f K o koda, a G.H.Q. spokesman said there were no reports of serious fighting. The village had apparently been taken by the Allied force, which was driving along the western track. Latest reports indicated that the Allies had reached the village of Naoro. Our fortvard troops marched into Kokoda this morning and the occupation was completed later in the day by the main force. The respective commanders o f land and air units in New Guinea have sent a message to all ranks, congratulating them on the “magnificent effort leading to the capture o f K okoda.” Yesterday Isuraba and Denikl. on the main track, were occupied and the commander in the infield, a message from the front line, said he would be in Kokoda today. His promise has been fulfilled to the letter. K okoda is 12,000 feet above sea level and in a slight depression. It is not a defensible area and had the Japs to make an effort to hold they would logically have made their stand before Deniki. Our forces are already pressing on towards Oivi, nine miles east o f K o koda. From Buna toW alropi there is a fairly w ell-form motored road and, beyond to Kokoda, bicycles were used on the road regularly before the war. There Is some evidence that the Japs have widened the bicycle track and motor vehicles may have travel led on it. It can now be revealed that we have had patrols In the Kokoda area for a week. On October 2® a patrol o f three walked into a Jap camp beside the airstrip and returned with valuable information. In the heaviest raids Portuguese Timor has ever suffered, many tons o f heavy bombs were dropped, Bori- naro being attacked in the morning and Dilli shortly before noon, says Lyndsay Clark, Daily Minor War Correspondent somewhere in Australia. Bodnaro is atypical native village 2000 feet up in the mountains. The attack was led by Wing Commander Ryle Holswich. o f Dural. N.S.W. Three flights o f medium bombers blasted Dilli from a height o f less than two miles. Tons o f high explosive bombs wreaked havoc in the three-quarter-m ile-long main street as the Allied formations swept in over the target with only a few seconds between each. •Japanese retreat further im Sole* mon*.— Page 6.