Wooden Bullets Used at Empress Augusta Bay

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 62, 16 March 1944, Page 5

Wooden Bullets Used at Empress Augusta Bay

(Special Australian Correspondent.) Received Wednesday, 10.15 p.m. SYDNEY, March 15. Japanese attempts to aerend Wewak have cost them 52 lighters destroyed with 13 more prooables in three days. Prom Saturday to Monday Allied bomuers with strong tighter escorts battered Wewak with almost 500 tons of bombs. Under this mounting Allied aerial assault there has been a significant decline in the enemy’s resistance at Wewak. On Saturday 10 Japanese fighters opposed our raiding force, 26 being shot down with six pro ba Dies. On bunday 18 enemy interceptors were destroyed with six probables. On Monday eight and probably nine of the dwindling force of Japanese fighters were destroyed. Monday’s was the heaviest raid yet made on Wewak when more than a hundred Liberators, Mitchells and Bostons dropped 210 tons of bombs. Many large fires and explosions indicated the severe damage in the building and supply areas. Escorting Thunderbolts dealt with 25 Zeros which came up to meet the raiders. Only four Allied planes were lost in these attacks on Wewak. Another heavy blow against shipping in ilollandia (Dutch New Guinea) is further evidence that the main weight of the Allied air otiensive in the Southwest Pacific is now being turned against Japanese bases in New Guinea. A convoy of three 1000-ton freighters was surprised there, two of the vessels being sunk and the third driven ashore on a reef. Catalina flyingboats inflicted these losses. Rabaul was twice raided on Sunday following a night harassing attack. Escorted heavy and medium bombers made a midday sweep over the base and they dropped 120 tons of bombs on the township, waterfront and Rapopo airfield, causing explosions and fires. Tor the first time in several days Japanese fighters opposed the raiders. Live and possibly six were shot down by the accompanying Allied fighters. Wooden bullets and firecrackers were among the weapons used by the Japanese in their costly attempt to drive the American forces from their beachhead at Empress Augusta Bay. The enemy killed in the three days’ fighting on the beachhead perimeter exceeded 1000. A lull has now occurred in the fighting. Crude wooden bullets fashioned from jungle woods were used by snipers who infiltrated the American positions. Por ranges up to about a hundred yards the wooden bullet is fairly accurate. War correspondents in the area report that an examination of the Japanese killed in the desperate assaults against the Yank positions show the enemy troops still to be well fed and well equipped. They are, however, cut off from further supplies. On Willauuiez Peninsula the Japanese isolated by the recent landing of U.S. Marines are being systematically destroyed. General MacArthur’s communique to-day Reports the killing in patrol clashes of 55 enemy stragglers. In the Admiralties the Yanks have now cleared Kauwei and Butjoluo Islands of enemy opposition.