JAPANESE STRAFED

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 105, 28 January 1943, Page 5

JAPANESE STRAFED

Heavy Allied Air Blows At Shipping (By Telegraph. —Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received January 27, 10.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, January 27. Prevention of the consolidation of Japanese buses around Hie 2000 miles arc stretching from the Arafura be.i to the northern Solomons was. again the object of Allied air attacks in tins theatre on Tuesday. Aerodrome and harbour facilities were the cnier ungets Again tbe Allied Air Force struck its heaviest blow at the Japanese shipping concentration at Rabaul UK eighth attack iu 10 days. Formations of Flying Fortresses raided aerodromes as J well as shipping, starting fires. At least one large merchantman was hit and left burning. , , The Japanese followed the , unusual course of sending up intercepting night ii ,r hters, but their effort was ineitect.ua . Afore than 220,000 tons of enemy shipping have been sunk or damaged since the present series of raids on Kabaul began on December 27. Shipping at Waterfall Bay and aerodromes at Gasniata, Cape Gloucester and other New Britain targets were attacked by Liberators. Further east Catalinas attacked Buka in the first raid ou this aiea by bombers under General MacArthur s command since November 22. Fires were started among the aerodrome supply dumps. Three points on tbe northern New Guinea coast were attacked, I’inschhafen, Lae and Salumaua, by Mitchell medium bombers. Havoc attack planes hud Lockheed-Liglitning fighter protection for a heavy raid on Lae. Havocs and Ben u fighters made strafing sweeps inland from Salamaua to Mubo and along the coast from Salumaua to Bakumbari. North of Australia Allied Hudsons swept across the Arafura Sea and attacked three enemy cargo vessels oft. Cap? Vanderbosch. The results are not known. The sole Japanese air offensive was a harmless night attack on Port Moresby aerodrome area by two bombers.