THE TOUGHEST FIGHTING IN THE WORLD

This is New Guinea, through a war correspondent's coverage of the first year's fighting when the Japanese invasion threat to Australia seemed most acute. Stationed first at Port Moresby, Johnston covers the early months from there; he builds his book on individual and mass activities as told to him by those engaged in them. Moresby was monotonous, dead -- except when livened by air raids. The fighting, largely in the sky, proved that the American and Australian pilots were superior, even to greater numbers. Then there was the ""strange war in the green shadows"", jungle and swamp fighting at Papua, Buna, Gona, and Sanananda, until the Japs werr finally dislodged. Good reporting, though not as outstanding as Robinson's The Fight for New Guinea.