MASS RAIDS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 14, 12 October 1942, Page 5

MASS RAIDS

100 Tons Of Bombs On Rabaul

TOWN IN FLAMES (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.)

(Special Australian Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, October 11

Flying Fortresses'are claimed to have turned Rabaul, the chief Japanese supply base in the New’ Guinea area, into a “Pacific Coventry.” In two mass raids, the largest concentrations of these Allied heavy bombers ever to operate in the South-west Pacific have dropped 100 tons of high explosives and incendiaries on the base, wrecking jetties, machine shops, barracks, supply dumps, anti-aircraft and searchlight positions, and setting fire to at least one ship. Fierce blazes from burning shore installations were visible 90 miles away as our bombers headed for home.

The two devastating raids were made early on Friday and 'Saturday mornings. On each occasion Catalina flying-boats loaded with incendiaries preceded the big (bombers. They lit fires which guided the Fortresses on to their targets. Pilots who took part in the raids say that the blaze lighted up Rabaul “as if the Japanese were holding an ill-timed victory celebration.” Considerable importance is attached to these raids, which are eloquent of the rising of Allied air power in this theatre. The attacks were undoubtedly designed to cripple Japanese attempts to build up an offensive from their Rabaul base against the American-held islands in the Solomons, where a new enemy drive has (been expected. Not a single Allied bomber was lost in either raid, in spite of intense barrages of anti-aircraft fire put up by the enemy. Keeping Jap Planes Grounded. It has been revealed that the previous heavy raid on Rabaul by aircraft of General MacArthur’s Command, when 12 tons’of bombs were dropped, was carried, out .to coordinate with the attack by U.S. carrier-based planes on enemy shipping off Bougainville Island in the Solomons. Five vessels, including a heavy cruiser, were hit (by planes from the carrier. The object of this raid on Rabaul was to keep the Japanese aircraft grounded. ■Following Friday morning’s raid, a single Flying Fortress on reconnaissance near Rabaul was attacked by three Zero fighters over fit. George’s Channel, separating New Britain and New Ireland. In a fierce air battle, two of the Zeros were shot down and the third driven off. The Fortress returned safely to its base. Lae, the enemy base in northern New Guinea has also been heavily attacked. On Friday, North American medium bombers dropped 16 tons of bombs on the aerodrome and the dispersal areas and installations, Beaufighters co-oper-ated in the attack, raking huts, storehouses and anti-aircraft positions with cannon and machinegun-fire. There was no attempt at fighter interception, all our planes returning safely. After Rabaul, Lae is Japan’s main air base in the New Guinea area and its proximity to (Port Moresby makes it an important, target.

Continuing the widespread Allied Air attacks against Japanese positions, medium bombers made a midnight raid on the airfield at Buka, in the Solomons, causing numerous fires. Continued raids on their airlields are seriously hampering the Japanese air effort in the South Pacific.

Washington reports state that the Japanese plane losses in the Solomons now exceed 250, the ratio of plane losses having sometimes been as high as 10 to 1.

North of Australia, Hudson bombers completed the destruction of a Japanese merchant vessel bombed earlier at Saumlakki in the Tenimber Islands.

Darge fires were started when bombs were dropped on the enemy-occupied quarter of Dilli, on Timor Island, where Australian ground troops continued their magnificent guerrilla resistance to the invader. ■ -