FIVE AIR BATTLES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1943, Page 4

FIVE AIR BATTLES

FOUGHT OVER NORTHERN NEW GUINEA JAPANESE OVERWHELMINGLY DEFEATED. GLOWING TRIBUTES TO ALLIED AIRMEN. (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. “With the greatest array of fighter and bomber strength they had marshalled since the battle of the Lae convoy, early in January, the Japanese tried unsuccessfully to force their way through our air screen. Five air battles were fought over Wau in 2J hours. From all these encounters every Allied fighter formation came out without a single loss.”—This description-of Saturday’s New Guinea air battle is given by a “Sydney Morning Herald” war correspondent. It is now reported that of the 41 Japanese planes shot down out of the skies at Wau, only 26 are claimed as definitely destroyed and 15 as seriously damaged and probably destroyed. The jungle around Wau was dotted with the fires of burning enemy planes. In the great Lae air battle which began on January 6 and ended on January 10, more than 80 Japanese planes were definitely destroyed and the probable destruction of enemy aircraft totalled about 150. Saturday’s success was not confined to any one type of Allied fighter. American Lightnings, Kittyhawks, and Airacobras all took part in the actions, which were fought at altitudes ranging from 2,000 to 18,000 feet. All commentators pay glowing tributes to Allied airmanship), which contributed so largely to the amazing result. The air battle began shortly before eleven o’clock on Saturday morning, when eight Kittyhawks, escorting heavy transport planes to Wau were attacked by twelve Japanese medium bombers and fighters already raiding the airfield. Eleven of the enemy planes were shot down and others were damaged, two of them so seriously that it is unlikely that they reached their base. While this action was taking place, eight Airacobras arrived with more Allied transports, all of which were now ordered to return to their base. The Airacobras attacked a force of about 30 enemy planes, mostly fighters, shooting down eleven. The skies were scarcely clear when four Lightnings chased twelve Zeros back towards their base. By early afternoon, only six enemy Zeros remained to dispute the Allied air supremacy. They were intercepted by a superior force of Kittyhawks and Airacobras. Three were shot down and the remaining three staggered off in faltering flight, with their fuselages riddled. By this time the Japanese had had enough and the Wau aerodrome was left unmolested throughout the rest of the day.