TENSE DRAMA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 March 1943, Page 4

TENSE DRAMA

AIR ATTACK ON JAPANESE CONVOY ACHIEVEMENTS OF FLYING FORTRESSES. AND OTHER ALLIED AIRCRAFT. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 9.15 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. “Drama as tense as any in a movie air war thriller was enacted throughout Tuesday in the radio room of the Flying Fortreq; base,” writes an Australian war correspondent from New Guinea. Every few minutes came short, staccato messages telling of a Japanese ship hit, of another exploding, of one in flames and of one turning over and sinking. “Fortresses bore the weight of the first attacks on the convoy, made in difficult weather which latei' moderated. Hour after hour, they took off for the fight, which came after a few days of inactivity bemoaned by the crews. It was a Liberator, piloted by Lieutenant Walter Higgins, of Forest City, Arkansas, which first sighted the convoy, at noon on Monday. The Fortress crews were quickly briefed and the big planes took off into an overcast sky. The misty rain of the late monsoon sheltered the fourteen enemy ships, but they were sighted again on Tuesday morning and shadowed until the first attacking Fortress arrived at ten o’clock. Major Edward Scott, of Starkville, Massachusetts, was credited with his fifth enemy ship when he scored five direct hits On an 8,000 to 10,000-ton transport. It Was the first blood drawn. Lieutenarit James Murphy, of Round Up, Montana, went one better when he was credited with his sixth sinking, a 6,000-ton ship. “Back at operational headquarters, intelligence officers, examining reports and photographs, established that the Fortresses, in the first day’s operations, had hit at least nine enemy ships. “One Fortress caught fire in its bomb bay, when artti-aircraft shrapnel broke an inflammable oil line. While eight Zeros set upon the damaged bomber, the crew fought 1 a twenjty-minufte fight with the flames and brought their plane safely home. “Improved weather throughout Wednesday assisted the Allied air attacks, which were principally maintained by Havoc fighter-bombers and Mitchell medium-bombers, with Fortresses continuing to participate. The convoy, now reinforced by eight additional ships, making the full complement of 22, included cruisers, destroyers and merchantmen, ranging from a transport of 10,000 tons to cargo ships of from 500 to-800 tons.” WORK OF FIGHTERS IMPORTANT PART PLAYED. TRIBUTE PAID TO ZERO PILOTS (Received This Day, 12.40 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. Beaufighters, with an air cover of Lockheed Lightnings, are now revealed to have played a considerable part in the victory. While their main purpose was to strafe ships and hamper anti-aircraft gun crews, they succeeded in setting at least four vessels ■alight. Their pilots described the bombing attacks by Flying Fortresses, Mitchells and Havocs as “the most beautiful we have seen.” Torpedo-carrying Beauforts also made a raid on the convoy before dawn on Wednesday, but it was impossible to observe results, as the Beaufbrts had to be clear of the area before Zeros could attack the relatively slow Allied aircraft. One airman said that the Zeros, of which 33 were destroyed and 22 probably destroyed, with many others) damaged, made a grim defence of the ships. One American Fortress pilot remarked: “Those Zero boys were picked men. I have never seen Zeros so rugged. They must have had a pep talk last night. Some came so close you could have thrown a rock at them.” When a pilot who had taken part in the Lae convoy battle of January was asked how the latest action compared with the earlier one, he said: “There isn’t any comparison. That 'time some of the convoy reached Lae. This time we got the Tot.” SKILL & COURAGE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER. LORD GOWRIE’S MESSAGE TO GENERAL MACARTHUR. (Received This Day, 12.20 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The Governor-General of Australia (Lord Gowrie) in a message to General MacArthur, paid a tribute to the success of the Allied operations which smashed the Japanese convoy, -states a Canberra message. “The success of the operations,” Lord Gowrie said, “was unattainable without careful planning, thorough training and skill and courage of the highest order. This operation without doubt will take a high place in the history of aerial warfare and reflects the greatest credit on all concerned.” WON BY AIRCRAFT I EQUIVALENT OF MILITARY & NAVAL VICTORY. FINAL SCENES IN CONVOY BATTLE. (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received This Day, 12.15 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. “Land-based aircraft alone achieved the equivalent of both a great military and a great naval victory,” comments the “Sydney Morning Herald.” “A Japanese division destined for New Guinea has perished without firing a shot. Had it succeeded in landing, many gallant Australian and American soldiers would have had to fall in combat against it.” War observers here agree that for the future Japan, with no lack of soldiers, but with her shipping resources heavily depleted, will be forced to reconsider the problem of moving them about her island arc. Command of the air has given the Allies a considerable control of the sea. ‘War correspondents today tell of final scenes in the convoy battle. A “Sydney Telegraph” writer, says: “As dusk fell oyer the Huon Gulf on Wednesday, a Flying Fortress on recon-

naissance reported the last floating remnants of the convoy. A large destroyer was moving slowly, with heavy oil slick pouring from her stern. A smaller destroyer was low in the water, with a large hole seen at the waterline on her starboard side. These were the only enemy warships then afloat.” Other reports tell of lifeboat wreckage and enemy dead littering the water’ more than 50 miles from the New Guinea coast. Three cargo ships still afloat were then burning fiercely. According to pilots who took part, the main convoy battle was centred in an area about ten miles square. The Japanese warships are reported to have gone ahead to screen the transports and merchantmen from attack. But the Allied aircraft, in their initial sweeps, ignored the warships, which were unable to get back in time to defend their charges. The actual attacks are described as a combination of high-level bombing, strafing and lowlevel bombing.