ENEMY ATTACK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 March 1942, Page 3

ENEMY ATTACK

ON ISLANDS OFF NORTH QUEENSLAND OPERATIONS NOT ON LARGE SCALE. NEAREST APPROACH YET MADE ' TO MAINLAND. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) MELBOURNE, March 15. Japanese planes yesterday attacked islands near Thursday Island, 30 miles off the northern tip of Queensland. This is the nearest point to which enemy aircraft have approached eastern Australia. Thursday Island is one of a chain stretching from Cape York across Torres Strait toward New Guinea. The islands in the group attacked include Banks, Mulgrave, Jervis, Long Horn, Tuesday, Wednesday, Goode, Hammond, Friday and Prince of Wales. All have native populations up to 500, of a Papuan admixture. Cattle are raised on some, while the natives on others have co-operated with the Japanese in the pearling and trochus shell industry. The Air Minister, Mr Drakeford, stated that the raid on these islands, like that on Port Moresby on March 13, was not on a large scale. No report is available of the damage or casualties. AIRMEN RESCUED EVACUATION UNDER NOSES OF JAPANESE. FROM DISPERSED ISLAND BASES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) MELBOURNE, March 15. ■ Four hundred men of the R.A.A.F., it is disclosed, were evacuated from northern island bases under the noses of the Japanese. The rescues were made in two night flights by a fleet of Australian machines which dispersed to different island bases which had been pounded and bomb-pitted by enemy fighters. Many of those rescued were wounded. The task was carried out by bombers under hazardous conditions without lights. One flying-boat lifted 100 men from one base.