BLOODY REPULSE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1942, Page 3

BLOODY REPULSE.

SUFFERED BY JAPANESE AT BUNA ATTEMPT BY TRAPPED FORCE TO BREAK OUT. ALLIES DRIVE NEW WEDGE INTO DEFENCES. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) SYDNEY, December 29. When Japanese trapped by Allied forces on the right Hank of their position at Buna attempted to break out at miduiglil on Sunday .they were “bloodily repulsed/' This is reported by General MacArthur's communique today. A subsequent Allied counter-attack with artillery support drove still another - wedge deep into the enemy’s final dd'ence line. Enemy naval craft, believed to have been submarines, shelled the Americanoccupied Buna village for about four hours between midnight on Sunday and dawn on Monday. The shelling caused no damage. Allied ground forces are revealed to have captured a number of dual-pur-pose anti-aircraft, and anti-tank guns in the fighting for Buna airfield. Allied aircraft have again been active over the fortress area in support of our ground operations. Havocs bombed and strafed enemy supply dumps and attacked a few Japanese who were sighted along the coast. Marauders bombed a Japanese wreck half a mile off the coast of Gona. This has been used as a supply dump, and anti-aircraft guns have been mounted, there. After three direct hits, the wreck was left smoking heavily. Beaufighters strafed enemy barges near the mouths of the Kumusi and Amboga Rivers. The 400-milt-an-hour Lightnings have not been reported again in action. It is revealed that the Allied air commander, Lieut-General Kenny, had been patiently husbanding them for a major air battle. He achieved his wish to throw them as a shock weapon against the most formidable Zero concentration he could find in New Guinea. Lightnings have been used in the south-west Pacific mainly for reconnaissance work, for'which their high speed makes them particularly suited.