GUN-BOAT SUNK

Southland Times, Issue 24885, 27 October 1942, Page 5

GUN-BOAT SUNK

MERCHANTMEN SET ON FIRE

(Rec. 10.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 20. Australian-based Flying Fortrmesses have attacked Japanese shipping in Rabaul harbour for the third successive night. In moonlight early on Sunday morning a strong force of Flying Fortresses dropped 17 tons of bombs, sinking a gun-boat and leaving three merchantmen (aggregating 12,000 tons) listing and ablaze. All three are believed to have been destroyed. The latest raid on this important link in the Japanese shipping line to the Solomons brings the score of destruction to 15 ships of 80,000 tons sunk or crippled in three days. In addition, 20,000 tons are believed to have received more or less serious damage. No Allied planes have been lost in these attacks. Hits on fuel barges near the wharves at Rabaul caused explosions and huge fires which could be seen 100 miles away. Another air blow in support of the Solomons fighting was a medium bomber attack on Kavieng, New Ireland, on Saturday night. An enemy four-engined plane was destroyed on the ground and large fires were started among fuel dumps. Other Allied medium bombers raided Koepang, Timor, early on Sunday morning. Grounded aircraft were attacked. Three Japanese planes made a further raid on Darwin on Saturday night, dropping bombs harmlessly near the beach. This was Darwin’s 44th raid. FIGHTING IN OWEN STANLEYS In the Owen Stanley Range the situation is reported to be unchanged. Fighting continues and our troops are meeting determined enemy resistance from prepared positions. In support of the land forces Havoc attack planes strafed the trail between Isurava and Kokoda, while the area south of Wairopi was bombed. The Prime Minister, Mr John Curtin, has sent a message to the Com-mander-in-Chief in the South-west Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur, expressing “appreciation of the magnificent effort put forward by our Allied forces under the most difficult conditions and of the splendid fight being waged in New Guinea by Australian and American forces against the Japanese invaders.” Replying on behalf of the Allied forces General MacArthur has reiterated to Mr Curtin “assurances of a complete effort in the great struggle now raging.”

IMPORTANCE OF PACIFIC

“AMERICA’S CHANGING VIEW”

(Rec. 7 p.m.) MELBOURNE, Oct. 26. Although defence preparations had improved enormously in the last seven months, the resources of the United Nations devoted to the Pacific fronts were still far less than were desired and deserved, declared the Australian Minister of External Affairs, Dr H. V. Evatt.

One of the greatest tasks of the Commonwealth Government, he said, had been to obtain a proper assessment of the importance of the Pacific theatre in the world war. In some powerful quarters in the United States the strength, of Japan had been grievously under-estimated, even after that country had begun to occupy great segments of its new economic empire in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“Throughout by mission to the United States and Britain I sought to combat these deadly fallacies,” said Dr Evatt, “not merely because they endangered Australia, but also because they jeopardized victory for all the United Nations over the Axis powers. All these fallacies were collected in the curious and dangerous slogan ‘Beat Hitler First.’ Early this year the Australian Government was criticized for being too Pacific-minded. You might as well criticize the Russians for being too antiHitler or the British for being too Channel-minded. Australia was not putting forward these contentions on selfish grounds. Her fighting men are on almost every front and they have earned for Australia the right to insist that their homeland will not be subjected to the vile, unspeakable disgrace of a Japanese invasion.” Commenting on America’s changing view of the Pacific front, Dr Evatt said it was important to observe that military experts like Hanson Baldwin, of The New York Times, were now appreciating facts which they were slow to appreciate even three months ago. HONG KONG RAIDED (Rec. 12.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, Oct. 26. Twenty tons of bombs landed in the target area when JJnited States aircraft raided Hong Kong, reports the Chungking correspondent of the Associated Press of America. Ships, docks and warehouses were hit and many fires were started both on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Ten enemy fighters were shot down and five were probably destroyed. One American bomber failed to return. One fighter was forced down in Chinese territory. American heavy bombers seriously damaged Japanese-operated coal mines near Linsi, in north-east China, last Wednesday, says the Associated Press correspondent at United States Army headquarters in China. In one of the longest raids of the war the bombers destroyed the power plant and put a mine out of commission.