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Military newspaper printed in the jungles of New Guinea...



Item # 650872

June 01, 1945

GUINEA GOLD, "Australian Edition", June 1, 1945 

* Rare military title
* Jungles of New Guinea
* World War II - WWII


On November 19, 1942 Australian and US troops fighting Japanese invaders in the New Guinea jungle created the first issue of "Guinea Gold", a unique four-page Australian army newspaper which day after day thereafter published a record number of world scoops. It was able to do so because US General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the South-West Pacific, gave it permission to publish his communiqués 20 hours before the release time for the rest of the world's media.

New Guinea was the only war zone where the United States armed forces did not produce their own newspaper, Stars and Stripes. With separate American and Australian editions, Guinea Gold fully met their needs. From that first edition in 1942 until the presses rolled to a stop on June 30, 1946, with the enviable record of 1,320 days of continuous publication, "Guinea Gold" daily brought to the news-hungry men of the Australian and American forces serving in the steaming jungle, topics of interest to allay their boredom and boost their morale.

Among the front page heads are: "French Shelling Damascus: Riots In Many Levant Areas" "Gigantic Death Roll In Tokio Raids" "Japs' Plane Loss, 2500 Last Month" "Franco's Offer to Assist Nazis In Gibraltar Attack" "U.S. Warns Japs On Reprisals".

Pages 2, 3 and 4 are filled with war reports. Complete in 4 pages, 9 3/4 by 11 1/2 inches, some very light staining at margins, generally nice.

Category: The 20th Century