RAID ON RABAUL AIRFIELDS

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23976, 17 June 1943, Page 5

RAID ON RABAUL AIRFIELDS

FIRES AMONG PLANES ON GROUND NIGHT FIGHTERS USED AGAINST ALLIES (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) (Bee. 11.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 16. t Night fighters are being used by the > Japanese over Rabual, in New BritI ain. This new development follows 1 the continued Allied hammering of e enemy aerodromes in the area in at- > tacks before dawn. Our raiders have I inflicted heavy losses among grounded aircraft, and, it is believed, have also ! destroyed a considerable quantity of , ammunition and supplies. For the fourth time in six nights , Allied heavy bombers were over Ra- ' haul on Tuesday. Nineteen Liberators, . a record number, comprised the raidJ ing formation, and they made five sepa- , rate attacks on the Lakunai and Ra- ' popo airfields, extending over two hours. ' Reporting the raid, General Macl Arthur’s communique to-day says: ; “Twenty-three tons of fragmentation ' and incendiary bombs were concentrated on grounded aircraft in the disi persal areas. Many explosions were [ caused, and seven large fires with J flames visible for 60 miles, and numerr ous small fires in the revetment areas : indicated burning aeroplanes. In spite ■ of intense anti-aircraft and searchlight i activity, and attempted interception by \ night fighters, all our aeroplanes re- - turned.” A single Liberator led the attackers ■ on to their targets, and successive ■ blows were struck by larger groups, i Three single-seater enemy night r fighters, possibly Zeros, fired on the s second group of Liberators but did no > damage. I Aerial reconnaissance .made after the • latest raid showed 254 aircraft on the ■ four enemy aerodromes near Rabaul—- . Lakunai, Rapopo, Malaguna, and Vuna- • kanau. 1 The Japanese on Tuesday employed [ their largest force for some weeks to . raid Allied positions in New Guinea. I Sixty-six aeroplanes took part in two I attacks. A force of 27 bombers and [ 30 fighters attacked three native vll- , lages in the Benabena area, near Ma- . dang. The precise targets in these raids have not been indicated, but a re- , port states that some damage was done. It was known that there were emergency landing strips in the Benabena ; area before the war. Nine enemy aeroplanes made a night raid on Dobodura, causing slight damage but no casualties. Beaufighters strafed the enemy-occu-pied villages of Boana and Kaiapiit. in the Markham Valley, and a Catalina in a night harassing attack started large fires on an enemy aerodrome at Cape Gloucester, in New Britain. Reconnaissance activity only is reported north of Australia in- the last 24 hours. AIR ACTIVITY IN SOLOMONS WASHINGTON, June 15. Japanese air activity in the South Pacific is reported in a United States Navy communique which states: "An i enemy reconnaissance aeroplane was : damaged on Sunday by American fighters while Japanese night bombers were over Guadalcanar, in the Solomons. A few bombs were dropped but they did no damage and there were no casualties.”