JAP. CONVOY ATTACKED

Evening Star, Issue 24284, 27 August 1942, Page 5

JAP. CONVOY ATTACKED

WIDESPREAD ALLIED AIR RAIDS SYDNEY, August 26. While the second battle of the Solomon Islands is being fought 600 miles to the east, planes from General MacArthur’s command attacked a new convoy of enemy warships and transports just north of the south-east tip of New Guinea. A gunboat was destroyed by a direct bomb hit, and two transports were heavily strafed. The Allies lost one plane in the operation. The direction in which the Japanese convoy headed and its objective was not revealed by South-west Pacific Headquarters, but it is significant that the attack on the vessels was made south of the Trobriaud Islands, which arc the nearest island group to the south-east tip of New Guinea, The raid was made by fighterbombers, which are being increasingly used in this theatre. The convoy is officially described as “ small,” and the attack was only a small part of widespread Allied air activity.

THIRTEEN ZEROS DESTROYED. Yesterday highly-successful sur-

prise attacks " were made on grounded enemy fighters in Buna. In two strafing raids our fighters

wrecked a total of 13 Zeros—one of the biggest single bags of enemy fighters yet made.

It is revealed that the field against which the attacks were launched has been used by the Japanese for some time in handling supplies. It is not known whether the enemy had used it for fighter operations, but war correspondents believe the Allies caught the Japanese off their guard before they had a chance to use their fighters. Today’s communique also reports that our fighters machine-gunned and destroyed a number of enemy barges and supplies on a beach south of Buna. This indicates the spread of enemy activity along the north Papuan coast.

The Allied air forces also struck at two Japanese bases in the north-eastern sector—Rabaul and . Gasmata. In a heavy night attack our bombers dropped eight tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs on the_ aerodrome, runways, hangars, dispersal areas, and a seaplane base, starting fires which were visible for 40 miles. In the north-western section Allied medium bombers raided enemy installations in Timor, starting fires. The sole offensive Japanese air activity was a night attack on Darwin by two enemy planes, which dropped bombs near the aerodrome. The damage was negligible.