HEAVIER RAIDS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 120, 23 May 1942, Page 7

HEAVIER RAIDS

ON JAPS. IN BURMA

N.Z. And American Airmen Strike At Enemy Forces

U.P..V. and Britisto Wireless.

Rec. 1 p.m.

LONDON, May 22

New Zealand and Australian airmen are participating in the raids being made by the R.A.F. and the United States Army Air Corps on Japanese troop concentrations, aerodromes and river craft in Burma.

Pilot-Officer E. F. Page, of Wairarapa, made a lone dawn raid on the Akyab aerodrome, on the Burma coast, destroying two navy Zero fighters, though other Japanese fighters were hovering nearby. He said: "I spotted them dispersed near the runway just as I was making my bombing run, and two bombs dropped by my observer scored direct hits. Other Japanese fighters began to chase us. I looked desperately for some friendly clouds and whistled gratefully into the nearest. When we emerged three Zeros were still in pursuit. Then there was a merry-go-round from cloud to cloud, but after 10 minutes the Japanese gave up the chase."

The R.A.F.'s chief targets have been Japanese steamers and barges on the Chindwin River and the Magwe air base.

The United States Air Force has concentrated on the Rangoon docks and the Mindaladon airport.

General StilwelFs headquarters will be established somewhere near the boundary of the inner section between Burma, India and China, savs a Chungking message. The newspaper lakung says the necessary personnel is proceeding to new headquarters by air from China and India and all the Chinese technical and transportation staffs hitherto operating in Burma will be withdrawn to India.

A review of the activities of the Allied forces in Burma received from Calcutta shows increased attacks on the Japanese in the first half of this month, averaging two attacks daily and included aerodromes, transports and troops. The enemy supply must have been seriously disturbed.

In a most successful river-trans-port attack six barges were hit and probably destroyed at Monywa, on the Chindwin River.

A feature of the fighting was the Japanese use of night fighters, which met no success in encounters with the Americans.