HEAVY BLOW

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 March 1943, Page 3

HEAVY BLOW

AT JAPANESE GROUNDED AIRCRAFT STRUCK BY LONG-RANGE BEAUFIGHTERS. DISASTER FOR THE ENEMY. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, March 1. ‘ The greatest number of long-range Beaufighters ever to operate north of Australia has struck a heavy blow at grounded Japanese aircraft on Timor. On Sunday four bombers and nine fighters were destroyed on the ground at the Penfoei airfield, and eight more fighters and one bomber are claimed as probably destroyed. Australianmanned Beaufighters attacked at dawn and poured 18,000 rounds of cannon and machine-gun fire into the grounded enemy planes. General MacArthur’s communique today refers to the raid as a “disaster” for the enemy. Three Zeros attempted interception, but after one had been put out of action the others retired. These are believed to have been the only enemy aircraft at Penfoei surviving the raid. A feature of the operation was the extent of the damage done by strafing alone, no bombs being dropped. Antiaircraft positions were silenced and fires started in the building area. Other Allied air activity on Sunday ranged from the Kei Islands in the Banda Sea to Finschhafen, Lae and northern New Guinea. The Japanese retaliated with ineffectual night raids on our New Guinea bases at Milne Bay and Merauke. In land fighting around Mubo, Australian forces have driven the Japanese from the Wipaining-Waipali area, two miles from Mubo. The enemy has now been thrown back 30 miles from the scene of his defeat at Wau. Many dead Japanese have been discovered by our advancing troops, giving further evidence of the effective nature of the incessant Allied air strafing sweeps. Australian casualties are believed Ip have been light, and the “Sydney Morning Herlad” New Guinea war correspondent says that our troops in the Mubo area arc receiving invaluable experience for the day when large scale fighting breaks out again. He adds that the employment of heavy arms such as 25-pounder artillery whenever possible has been a deciding factor in our success. At Wau these guns accounted for hundreds of Japanese. AIR ATTACKS CONTINUE TIMOR, SOLOMONS & ALEUTIANS. ENEMY PLANES SUFFER HEAVILY. LONDON, March 1. Allied aircraft are continuing their widespread attacks on the Japanese. Yesterday they destroyed or damaged 23 out of 25 enemy aircraft on an aerodrome on Timor Island. United States Liberators in the Solomons hit a Japanese cargo ship near Buin and also damaged fighters in the Shortland Island area. Other American planes flew to the Aleutians to attack the Japanese positions at Kiska.