BUIN POUNDED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 February 1943, Page 3

BUIN POUNDED

WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION HEAVY ALLIED RAIDS HARBOUR FOUND DESERTED. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, February 21, The weight of the Allied air attacks has forced Japanese shipping to flee from the harbour of Buin, on Bougainville Island, the main enemy supply base in the northern Solomon Islands. On three successive rfigh.’ts General MacArthur’s bombers have struck heavily in this area, csausing widespread destruction. On Friday night four supply ships aggregating 27,000 tons were set on fire or otherwise damaged at Buin, and when our bombers returned last night they found the harbour deserted. A destroyer, two supply ships and a laden troop transport also have been attacked by Liberator heavy bombers and Beaufort torpedo-bombers in New Britain waters with unobserved results. Combined with these attacks on shipping there have been heavy raids on enemy aerodromes and shore installations In Buin area Kahili and Ballale aerodromes and the seaplane base at Faisi, Shortland Island, have been attacked on successive nights. In the latest raia, made last night, 23 tons of high explosives, as well as incendiaries, were dropped, and great fires illuminated our aircraft, which were flying at 75000 ft. Many grounded planes were destroyed. Burning fuel and ammunition dumps caused a pall of smoke over Buin. Recent raids on the Buin-Shortland area have also been made by bombers of Admiral Halseys South Pacific Command, and the enemy’s main northern Solomons base is receiving a pounding on a scale almost equal to that which was meted out to Rabaul a few weeks ago. In spite of intense fire from the ground, none of General MacArthur’s bombers were lost in the latest attacks. An American Press correspondent with the United States fleet in the South Pacific, reports that in about the middle of February Faisi harbour was “crowded’’ with Japanese shipping, and that the enemy plane strength in the northern Solomons area was then substantially reinforced. In a running fight over Faisi on February 15, Admiral Halsey’s planes destroyed eight Zeros, with two more probably destroyed. Six American aircraft were lost but undetermined damage was caused to Japanese shipping in the harbour. The Japanese fighter strength at the aerodromes on New Britain also appears to have been increased. Strong flights of Zeros interrupted our bombers when they were attacking the shipping. A'classic fight was that made by a lone Liberator which bombed a 5000ton cargo ship at Gasmata. The Liberator had penetrated fierce anti-aircraft fire from the shore batteries and shipping in the harbour and had dropped its bombs when 12 Zeros dived on it. In a running battle, during which the Zeros made more than 30 attacks, the Liberator destroyed three enemy planes. It returned safely to its base. IN NEW GUINEA DEVASTATION AT LAE. MANY ENEMY PLANES SMASHED. SYDNEY, February 21. Reconnaissance photographs confirm the reports of the heavy destruction which has been caused by the relentless Allied air pounding of Lae, the main Japanese base in northern New Guinea. Many enemy planes, damaged beyond repair, are dispersed over the area, and rows of buildings have been demolished. The runways in Malahang aerodrome are scarred, by bomb craters. In the latest attacks in this area, Havocs and Beaufighters bombed and stafed Japanese soldiers in the villages of Bitibum and Augari, just two miles from Lae. No change is reported in the land fighting in the adjacent Wau area, where the enemy is retreating on Mubo. Merauke, the Allied base on the southern coast of Dutch New Guinea, had its fifteenth air raid on Thursday when a Japanese float-plane dropped two bombs harmlessly. This was the sole enemy offensive activity in the South West Pacific area during the past 72 hours. NORTH PACIFIC AMERICAN SURFACE FORCES ACTIVE. ENEMY POSITIONS BOMBARDED. WASHINGTON, February 20. A Navy communique states: “In the North Pacific on February 18 United States surface forces bombarded Japanese positions in Holtz Bay at Chicago's Harbour on Attu Island. The results were not observed. Aircraft shot down two Japanese float planes attempting to attack our positions in the Western Aleutians. No damage was suffered. “In the South Pacific on February 19 our aircraft bombed Japanese positions at Vila and Munda. All our planes returned safely.”