THIRTEEN ZEROS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 August 1942, Page 3

THIRTEEN ZEROS

WRECKED IN TWO ATTACKS ON BUNA > WIDESPREAD AIR RAIDING BY ALLIES. DAMAGE DONE AT MANY ( POINTS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, August 26. General MacArthur’s headquarters reports that highly successful surprise attacks have been made on grounded enemy fighters at Buna ■. in Papua. In two strafing raids our fighters wrecked a total of 13 Zeros—one of the biggest single bags of enemy fighters yet made. It is revealed that the field against which the attacks were launched had been used by the Japanese for some time for handling supplies. It is not known whether the enemy had used it for fighter operations, but war correspondents believe the Allies caught the Japanese off guard before they had a chance to use the fighters. Today’s communique also reports that our fighters machine-gunned and destroyed, a number of enemy barges and supplies on a beach south of Buna. This indicates a spread in enemy activity along the north Papuan coast. The Allied air forces also struck at the two Japanese bases in the northeastern sector—Rabaul and Gasmata. In a heavy night attack our bombers dropped eight tons of high-explosive and incendiary bombs on an aerodrome, runways, • hangars, dispersal areas, and a seaplane base, starting fires which were visible for 40 miles. In the north-western sector Allied medium bombers raided enemy installations on Timor, starting fires. The sole offensive Japanese air activity was a night attack on Darwin by two enemy planes, which dropped bombs near an aerodrome. The dam-' age was negligible. VIGOROUS. ACTIONS BEING FOUGHT ON VORONEZH FRONT HEAVY TOLL BEING TAKEN OF ENEMY. FORTY AXIS TANKS DESTROYED IN TWO DAYS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) RUGBY, August 26. Though attention naturally is primarily focussed on the battle for Stalingrad and the fighting in the foothills of the Caucasus, vigorous actions continue to be fought on the Voronezh front and north-west of Leningrad. Heavy toll is here being taken of the enemy, says a Moscow message. Forty enemy tanks were destroyed in two days of battle at Voronezh. Large numbers of Germans and Hungarians, who are trying to recapture a town on the west bank of the Don, south of Voronezh, were also wiped out.