RAID ON DARWIN

Southland Times, Issue 24887, 29 October 1942, Page 5

RAID ON DARWIN

Anti-Aircraft Fire Heaviest Yet

(Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.)

(Rec. 8.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 28. Nine Japanese bombers raiding Darwin in moonlight early on Tuesday morning encountered the heaviest antiaircraft barrage ever put up in Australia. The enemy planes were thrown off their objective and jettisoned their bombs harmlessly. Although none of the raiders was shot down in the area, it is believed some were damaged and may not have reached their base. Three Allied raids have been made in the past 24 hours. The aerodrome at Dilli (Timor) was raided by Hudson bombers. At Lae a formation of our Beaufighters carried out strafing, attacking and destroying three barges and silencing anti-aircraft positions. One Beaufighter was lost. Our attack bombers strafed the Japanese supply trail from Kokoda to Alola.

The spokesman at General MacArthur’s headquarters reports that there has been no change in the land position in the Owen Stanley Range. Fighting continues south of Alola, with the Allied forces maintaining their pressure. NEW POLICY IN PACIFIC AMERICAN EMPHASIS ON OFFENSIVE NEW YORK, October 27. Until last week-end American policy in the Pacific area was dominated by a “beat Hitler first” attitude and an endeavour to maintain a defensive position on the Australia-New Zealand front, but Vice-Admiral William Halsey’s appointment suggests a new turn in high policy by putting greater emphasis on aggressive operations in the South-west Pacific, says The Christian Science Monitor’s Washington correspondent. „, He adds that the situation down under” has been shaping up to a change of policy and a change of personnel. It is unfortunate that much criticism of the operations in that area has preceded Vice-Admiral Robert L. Ghormley’s removal. He did what he was supposed to do. He kept aloof from General MacArthur and opened a campaign with a limited objective in the Solomons, but limited objectives in the Pacific obviously give Japan what she wants most —ample opportunity to consolidate her territorial gains. The rigid line of demarcation between General MacArthur’s and Vice-Admiral Ghormley’s commands was an embarrassment to everyone. Dissatisfaction, with the progress in the Solomons has become so great that Washington opinion has veered somewhat away from the strong anti-MacArthur bias. SEPARATE COMMANDS Political Washington was largely responsible for the establishment of two separate commands in the Pacific, partly because of jealousy of General MacArthur’s popularity and partly because the conservative opposition had launched a “MacArthur for President” campaign. Now the means taken to cut down General MacArthur have back-fired. The Navy, which insisted on its independence from General MacArthur, has subjected itself to heavy criticism, while General MacArthur has sat quietly on the sidelines doing what was possible to lend die Solomons air support, but he has been unable to lend other support because he has never been given the necessary shipping. It is even _ being asked in Washington whether it was not a mistake to move in the Solomons instead of first cleaning up New Guinea. The importance of the issue serves to highlight the lack of unified command in the Pacific. General MacArthur came to Australia with a promise that he would be the supreme commander in the entire Australia-New Zealand area, but finally this was whittled down to Australia. A separate naval command in New Zealand was established in order to protect the New Zealand Government, which had always planned its defence in close harmony with Australia. Vice-Admiral Halsey may have among his instructions one to open negotiations towards the eventual establishment of formal “diplomatic relations” with General MacArthur. RAID ON ~HONG KONG (Rec. 12.20 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 28. Berlin radio broadcast a Tokyo dispatch that 11 planes again raided Hong Kong at noon today.