EFFORT 10 WEAKEN THE JAPS.

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 247, 20 October 1942, Page 5

EFFORT 10 WEAKEN THE JAPS.

NAVAL CONCENTRATIONS BOMBED THREE CRUISERS BEUEVED H1T

P.A. Special.

SYDNEY, October 19.

Australiasi land based flying forces have made four separate raids on a powerful eoncentration of Japanese warships and transports off Bougainville Island, north-west of the Solomons. Three Japanese ernisers are believed to have been hit with 10001b. bombs. A merchantman was set on fire and seven flying-boats destroyed or darnaged. A seaplane tender and cargo vessels were attacked with nnknown results. The raids, made by probably the largest force of bombers sent from General MacArthur's Command to help the American defenders in the Solomons, began early on Sunday morning and lasted through several hours of darkness. The last flight saw Japanese vessels burning fiercely. • Not a single Allied plane was lost. Japanese Zero night-fighters attempted to intercept the ttoird flight of Fortresses, but their attack was weak and easily beaten off. The first formation of Fortresses to fly over the target area near Buin dropped flares, which illuminated Japanese shipping at anchor in a stretch of water used by the enemy for some time as L a naval dispersal area. In this initial instalment 22 tons of bombs F were dropped among shipping, and the planes then proceeded to l bomb and strafe an airfield which the Japanese were using for operations against the American forces on Guadalcanar. The second attack, which is believed to have hit three Japanese cruisers, was helped by light from the burning ships. The third group bombed a large sea-plane tender and cargo vessels, while the final flight came in a low altitude and strafed a cargo vessel, setting it ablaze. They then destroyed or darnaged a number of large flyingboats with incendiari^s. This was the si&th series of attacks made by Australia -based planes against Buin in the past fortnight. It was the 19th attack made in that pericd against the three main bases from which Japanese bombers could operate against American positions in the Solomons. Rabaul has been raided six times, with nearly 200 tons of bombs, and Buka seven times. In addition, Japanese warships and transport concentrations in the Buin-Faisi area have been attacked several times earlier this month by Beaufort torpedo-bombers, as well as other land-based bombers and carrier aircraft.