AIR FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 June 1942, Page 4

AIR FIGHTING

IN SOUTH-WEST PACIFIC EFFECTIVE NIGHT RAIDS BY ALLIES. JAPANESE BRING IN MANY ZERO FIGHTERS. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.10 p.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. Reports reaching General Headquarters from the North Australian front show that Allied airmen are fast perfecting their technique of night operations. Taking advantage of moonlight again on Friday, they raided bases as widely scattered as the Solomon Islands, Rabaul (in New Britain) and Dilli (in Portuguese Timor). Americans who saw action in the Philippines say the Japanese arc poor night flyers, and this is being borne out by the negligible damage so far reported from enemy night raids on Port Moresby. In sharp contrast is the record of smashing successes by Allied raiders as outlined in communiques from General Headquarters at the weekend. The Sydney “Telegraph’s” representative at an undisclosed operational base says heavy reinforcements of long-range Zero fighters, which the Japanese are throwing into the New Guinea battle, have given a new angle to the struggle. The Zero unquestionably is the most serious factor with which the Allied air forces have to cope. The Japanese apparently ar'e pinning their faith to large numbers of the newer type of Zeros as a check to our policy of wearing down their air power in New Guinea. The Allied air force, m'eahwhile, taking advantage of moonlit nights, is sending over bombers on a new schedule. The New Guinea war would be quickly decided in our favour if the United Nations had fighters in action capable of matching the Zeros in range. The disadvantage of the Zero is that its range is achieved at the cost of vulnerability. Moreover, our bombers have such effective armament thi®t they frequently come off best in actual combat with Zeros: