New Zealand Warhawks Hammer Rabaul

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 60, 14 March 1944, Page 5

New Zealand Warhawks Hammer Rabaul

(Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) Received Monday, 9.40 p.m. SOUTH PACIFIC BASE, March 13. In a smashing attack on the New Britain supply area at Vunapope 22 1 New Zealand Warhawks wreaked con siderable damage. Great columns of heavy smoke spread over the targets as : the New Zealanders departed from one of their best efforts yet in the Pacific. Eight enemy planes were sighted, but no interception was attempted. A few minutes later U.S. Army Aira cobras dived in through the smoke with more bombs and reported six fires burning from the previous raid. Nineteen Liberators covered by Lightnings plastered the Rabaul area with 76 tons of bombs, destroying eight buildings and scoring a direct hit on the sear plane base, setting fuel dumps on fire and starting several other large fires. A large barge and two small schooners were sunk, the pier was also damaged at Koravia Bay and two barges west of Raluana Point were damaged in a , sweep by six Avengers. At Bougainville the Americans hitting back heavily at the Japs around the perimeter and using tanks, mortars, grenades, machineguns, rifles and finally bayonets in a six-hour attack drove the Japs out of the perimeter and regained all their lost positions. Under heavy punishment from American artillery the Japanese artillery fire had be come increasingly weak since the first day of their attack. A major Japanese attack launched on the northern sector of the perimeter was repulsed. The total casualties since fighting flared up on Bougainville are: American 39 killed and 347 wounded; Japanese 112 known killed.