NEW GUINEA AIR ATTACKS

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23965, 4 June 1943, Page 5

NEW GUINEA AIR ATTACKS

JAPANESE RAID BASE SOUTH OP WAU ALLIES BOMB WEWAK AREA (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) fßec. 11.30 p.m.)' SYDNEY, June 3, Sixteen Japanese aeroplanes on Tuesday raided a new Allied base in north-east New Guinea—at Bulldog, 40 miles south of Wau. Slight damage and casualties were caused. Bulldog is at the headwaters of the Lakekamu river, 120 air miles northwest of Port Moresby. Its airstrip was used by commercial aeroplanes before the war, and now has a small Allied ground detachment. This raid is reported in General MacArthur’s communique to-day, and is the first enemy offensive activity for some days. Serious damage to parked enemy aircraft and ammunition dumps is claimed as a result of a heavy raid by Flying Fortresses and Liberators on the Wewak area of northern New Guinea early on Wednesday morning. The communique says: “Our heavy bombers executed a night attack on enemy aerodromes at Wewak and Boram, dropping more than 24 tons of explosives on runways, dispersal areas, and supply installations. Numerous fires and explosions indicated serious destruction or damage to parked aircraft and ammunition dumps. Intense" ack-ack fire was encountered. All our aeroplanes returned.” Improved flying weather permitted light Allied attacks on other enemy bases. A single Liberator on a longrange reconnaissance mission strafed villages and barges along the shore at Hollandia, on the north-east coast ot Dutch New Guinea. The same bomber attacked a small enemy cargo vessel 50 miles north-east of Wewak. Liberators and Mitchells attacking in two waves raided enemy shipping off Lautem, in Timor. They were intercepted by five Zeros but drove off the enemy fighters, probably destroying one of them.