JAPANESE BASE RAIDED

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 225, 20 June 1944, Page 5

JAPANESE BASE RAIDED

11 Vessels Destroyed BLOW IN DUTCH NEW GUINEA (By Telegraph.—Press a«»u.—Copy right.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) •(Received June 19, 10 p.m.) SYDNEY. June. 19. Five Japanese freighter-transports and six coastal vessels were sunk and two oilier ITieig'hter-transports either destroyed or seriously damaged when General MacArthur's bombers on Saturday made a punishing strike against shipping in Sorong Harbour, at the western tip of Dutch New Guinea. On Friday, at least 50 enemy aircraft had been destroyed at Sorong, which is the last effective Japanese base in New Guinea. As a result of the first attack, the Japanese were uuable to offer lighter opposition to Saturday's raiding formations ot Mitchells and Lightnings. As well as being a terminal lor the Japanese air supply line from the Philippines, Sorong is also the base from which enemy forces opposing the Americans on Btak Island, 323 miles to the east. ha\e been supported. Friday’s smashing blow against enemy air concentrations there revealed that 'shipping in the harbour included u cruiser, two destroyers and a corvette as well as a variety of merchantmen. Sorong had been used by the enemy as a strategic naval base. ..... ' „ The American Fifth Air toree was quick to follow up its initial strike. Ot the freighters sunk, two were ot tons. The two destroyed or damaged were of 1500 tons. Today's communique makes no report of. any attack on war, shipping. Progress On Btak.

On Biak Island, the American invasion forces are making satisfactory progress and the envelopment of enemy positions defending the approaches to Borokoe airfield is proceeding. The enemy left 1-0 dead within the advancing American line yesterday, bringing the total of abandoned Japanese killed to 1055. In the Central Pacific, General MacArthur’s Liberators continue to play their part in pounding the enemy base of Truk. In the latest midday raid, 8J tons of bombs were dropped on Dublon Island. The destruction included a large fuel storage tank. Twenty Zeros intercepted our bombers. They dropped phosphorus bombs, destroying one of their own planes by accident. All the Liberators returned safely. The anti-aircraft barrage over lutbatu, New' Britain, is still formidable. Two Allied planes were shot down over the area on Friday. Four Allied planes were lost in all the attacks reported in today s South-west Pacific communique.

BARGE LANDING FAILS Japanese Counter-Attack On Saipan WASHINGTON, June IS. The Japanese launched an amphibious counter-attack against our forces on 'Saipan early on Saturday morning, says a Pacific Fleet communique. A group of troop-carrying barges attempted a landing south of Garapan, but was repulsed by our armed landing craft. Thirteen enemy barges were sunk. Alternatively smashing down Japanese counter-attacks and attacking across, the shell-torn canefields of southern Saipan Island, American assault troops have advanced half-way across Japan’s most heavily-fortified island in the Mariannes, says an Associated Press correspondent at Pacific Fleet headquarters. Twenty-five Japanese tanks were willed out and heavy casualties were inflicted when the enemy made a determined counter-attack before dawn on Friday. After sunrise, marines and infantrymen renewed their advance, captured Hinasbishu Village, drove to the edge of Aslito aerodrome, two miles from the original beach-head. By nightfall, the advance averaged 1 1500 yards along the 5J miles American front. An aged American destroyer stole the spotlight from the .battleships by sinking, unaided, five enemy coastal freighters. Since the 'beginning of the 'Saipan attack 21. Japanese ships'ltave been sunk. The Japanese garrison on Saipan is estimated at 30,000.

PAMPHLETS DROPPED “Surrender Certificates” For Japanese (Received June 19, 9.45 p.m.) i NEW YORK, June 19. The Americans dropped 150,000 pamphlets on Saipan, printed in Japanese, Korean, and simplified Japanese intelligible to the natives, says the “New York Times” correspondent with the expeditionary force. One type of pamphlet contains a special message for Japanese soldiers warning them that there is no nse holding out desperately iu the hope that the elusive Japanese Fleet will come to their rescue. Another type contains a “surrender certificate,” guaranteeing the holder his life, fair treatment, food anil cigarettes if he follows the instructions.

'liie reinforcements which the Japanese attempted to bring to Saipan, according to observers, came from Tinian Island, a few miles below Saipan, or from the northern shores of Saipan itself, says tho “New York Times” Pearl Harbour correspondent. The capture of Saipan’s principal airvort, Aslito, the struggle for which has been going on since Friday, would give the Americans 3600 ft. of runway from which fighters and bombers could be launched for closer support of the American ground forces battling against 20,000 to 30,000 of Japan’s best men.

GOOD PERFORMANCE Super-Fortresses’ Raid (Received June 19, 9.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, June IS. Experts at the Super-Fortress air base in China describe the American losses in the Yawata raid as strikingly low considering the long outward and return flights over enemy territory, the low level at which the bomb-runs were made, nnd the fact that the Japanese had long known that. .Super-Fortresses were ready to hit the homeland, says the "New York Times” correspondent, Tillman Durdin, at the base. ' All the pilots from the raid agree that the flak was fairly heavy, though not comparable with the heavy- flak encountered over Germany. The Japanese antiaircraft fire was described as inaccurate, but. the searchlights were good. Indeed, not many of the Super-Fortresses got over the target without being impaled in dozens of 'beams. Few planes returning from the raid showed flak scars. The planes landed with all motors functioning and encouragingly large supplies or petrol left in I lie tanks. It seems certain that the damage at the Yawata works was substantial, though it was not. expected that a single raid would completely knock out the plant. The bomb crews, however, are pretty certain that they have destroyed the vital coke-oven section.

NEW CARRIER RAID? (Received June 19. 7 p.m.) NEW YORK, June 18. The Dome! news agency said in a broadcast that about 100 American car-rier-based planes on Friday again attacked Iwo Jima Island, in the Kazan group below the Bonins, and about 750 miles south of Tokio.