SMASHING ATTACKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 March 1942, Page 3

SMASHING ATTACKS

ON JAPANESE PACIFIC OUTPOSTS Made by American Naval and Air Forces HAVOC WROUGHT AT WAKE AND MARCUS ISLANDS JAPANESE OCCUPY ANDAMAN GROUP LONDON, March 25. American air and naval forces have struck smashing blows on Japanese island outposts in the Pacific. A force of aircraftcarriers, cruisers and destroyers made the attacks on enemy bases at the end of February and the beginning' of this month. Wake Island was first dealt with. - While sheUs from the cruisers and destroyers were crashing into shore installations and landing fields, planes flew in to attack and over 200 bombs were dropped on objectives. Two enemy patrol boats and three large seaplanes were destroyed. An agency correspondent’s eyewitness account of the attack states that shells and bombs destroyed a power station, runways, a water tower, a new pier, barracks, underground hangars and ammunition dumps. A Japanese gunboat sighted the American forces when they were only seven miles from Wake Island and just had time to flash a warning before it was sent to the bottom by a broadside from a destroyer. Two other small islands near Wake were also attacked. The second attack was made on Marcus Island, 700 miles north-west of Wake. The attacks started just before dawn. Ninety-six bombs heavily damaged hangars, fuel and ammunition stores, radio installations and aircraft runways. The bombing went on for half an hour and started huge fires,-which lit up the island. The only serious opposition came from enemy anti-aircraft batteries. The Americans only lost two planes. Several Japanese prisoners were taken. The Japanese have occupied the Andaman Islands, in the Bay of Bengal, south-west of the Irrawaddy Delta. Our forces withdrew some days ago and a considerable portion of the civil population was also brought away. The islands have long been used as a penal settlement. HEAVY FIGHTING IN BURMA In Burma Japanese forces have captured an aerodrome north of Toungoo. The situation is described as serious. Heavy fighting is going on round the aerodrome, where Chinese forces are attacking vigorously. The Japanese are keeping up their air attacks on aerodromes in Central Burma. Yesterday heavy raids were made on R.A.F. aerodromes in this area. Enemy forces in armoured cars cut the Toungoo-Mandalay Road about 20 miles north of Toungoo. The Chinese drove them out. The main enemy force is still 20 miles south of Toungoo. Twenty-seven enemy bombers attacked the harbour defences in Manila Bay and the defence line on the Batan Peninsula. Port Moresby had its 19th raid today. All the bombs dropped harmlessly into the sea.