HEAVIEST RAID ON LAE

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23963, 2 June 1943, Page 3

HEAVIEST RAID ON LAE

Attack In Force By Allied Bombers JAPANESE CONVOY NOT LOCATED (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 10 p.m.) SYDNEY. June 1. The bad weather over the south-west Pacific area is of greater service to the Japanese than to the Allies. General MacArthur’s reconnaissance aeroplanes, continuing their search for the enemy convoy of four merchantmen and two destroyers which was attacked by a single bomber last Saturday, have been unable to locate it along the north New Guinea coast. The belief is growing that the convoy succeeded in landing reinforcements and supplies for the enemy’s Wewak garrison under cover of heavy cloud, and has since withdrawn to its base. Liberators braved adverse conditions on Monday morning to make the biggest raid yet reported on the hardpressed Japanese north New Guinea base of Lae. To-day's south-west Pacific communique says: “Our heavy bombers attacked in force, dropping 36 tons of high explosives from a medium altitude on the runway and the town area and on the waterfront. Tire damage is believed to have been extensive. Anti-aircraft fire was encountered. All our aeroplanes returned." The Liberators went over Lae in two formations and the raid lasted only 10 minutes. They concentrated their main attack on the terrace area, which was once the residential section of Lae, but is now believed to be the main dispersal point for military stores. ' T orth-west o f Australia Beaufighters from a mainland base machine-gunned Langgoer aerodrome, in the Kei Islands, in an early morning raid. They destroyed one medium bopiber and damaged one fighter which was caught on the ground. Of six Zeros which attempted interception, one was shot down. All the Beaufighters came safely home. The only other offensive activity reported in General MacArthur’s latest communique was an attack by a lone Allied reconnaissance bomber on the Japanesp north New Guinea base of Finschhafen. LIVES SAVED BY ARMY SURGEONS ACHIEVEMENTS IN NEW GUINEA (Rec. 11 p.m.) MELBOURNE, June I. Of 6000 casualties attended by one field ambulance dressing station m New Guinea, only three men died. This was revealed by the Army Minister (Mr F. M. Forde), who was speaking of the remarkable achievements of Army surgeons in saving the lives of Australian soldiers in this theatre. Working within 500 yards of battle areas, surgeons operated on men who had often been wounded only 30 minutes earlier. The surgical teams worked uoder tjie most difficult conditions. For their operating theatre they frequently had merely an overhead canvas' covering. Often they improvised their own operating tables and sterilising plants. Sometimes they worked ankle deep in mud. MOPPING UP ON ATTU REMAINING JAPANESE PUT AT 200 LONDON, May .11. Attu Island is now virtually in American hands once more, and mopping up continues of the small-num-•ber,of Japanese, estimated at 200,. who aro’still sniping and manning isolated machine-gun posts. The Axis radios are attempting to minimise the loss of Attu by saying that the island is of no strategic value. GERMAN TROOPS IN NORWAY DECLINE IN MORALE REPORTED LONDON, May 31. The morale of 200.000 anti-invasion troops in Norway which markedly declined after the German defeat in Russia, slumped still further after the Tunisian debacle and it fell to an even lower ebb when news of the Royal Air Force's pounding of the Reich began to leak through, state reports received by Norwegian circles in London. The Germans themselves are committing acts of sabotage. Many deserters are escaping to Sweden. There have been frequent suicides and several concentration camps have been opened for mutinous Germans. Nervousness among coastal guards has resulted in a number of German patrol boats being fired on and sunk. The German troops are very worried about the lack of available details of the Royal Air Force bombing of Germany. Many arc so worried that they are seeking the truth from Norwegians who pick up the news on illegal radio sets. Suicides in and desertions from the German Army are increasing, according to neutral reports reaching London. They are heaviest among wounded men from the Russian front who have been ordered back there. An official Nazi order recently issued states that all German soldiers who committed suicide in the Haute Garonne area of France must be buried in the parishes in which they were stationed. There has also been an increase in the number of suicides among fifth columnists and Quislings in neutral countries in the last two weeks. In France large numbers of deserters from the German Army are seeking sanctuary in monasteries and with Rqman Catholic charitable organisations. SWEDISH SHIP SUNK OFFICERS TAKEN PRISONER BY GERMANS MIAMI. May 31. A German submarine torpedoed the Swedish motorship Industria off. the Brazilian coast, and took prisoner the vessel’s three officers. This was revealed by survivors who have reached Miami. Sweden has already protested to Berlin against the violation of her neutrality. It is the first-known instance of Germans taking prisoner Swedish sailors. The Industria is the tenth Swedish vessel reported sunk in American waters.

ABSENTEEISM IN AUSTRALIA INCIDENCE HIGHER AMONG WOMEN (Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 1. A survey of labour in Australian war industries reveals that absenteeism is 7 per cent, higher among females than among male workers. The incidence among men is about 5 per cent, and among women it is 12 per cent. Sickness and accident, rather than irresponsibility, were found to be the chief causes of absenteeism. The provision of factory recreation facilities and scientific organisation of factory food services have been recommended as ways of reducing absenteeism.