BOMBED & ROUTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 April 1943, Page 3

BOMBED & ROUTED

JAPANESE CONVOY MAKING FOR NEW GUINEA

BIG DESTROYER DIRECTLY HIT AND PROBABLY SUNK.

AIR PURSUIT IN EXTREMELY BAD WEATHER.

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, March 31.

A single Flying Fortress routed a fast Japanese destroyer convoy just five miles east of Finschhafen, northern New Guinea, in darkness early yesterday morning. The latest desperate enemy attempt to supply the hungry ‘and beleaguered garrisons along this section of the northern New Guinea coast has failed miserably.

With the annihilation of the Bismarck Sea convoy apparently still fresh in their minds, the enemy commanders turned their ships and fled when a Fortress scored a direct hit with a 5001 b. bomb on the stern of a large destroyer. The warship was severely damaged and probably sunk. Three smaller destroyers which made up the convoy turned to the north where, in spite of dirty weather, other Allied bombers are continuing the pursuit. No reports have been received of any attacks and the warships may have escaped in a storm which covers the area. It is apparent that the destroyers did--not get into Finschhafen. A Catalina flying-boat which had been patrolling the area left the scene only ten minutes before the arrival of the lone Fortress which sighted and attacked the convoy. The weather was then momentarily fine at Finschhafen, but other Allied aircraft which had searched for the convoy in the Bismarck Sea had been compelled to drop flares even in daylight. IMPENETRABLE STORM. A spokesman at General MacArthur’s headquarters said that the destroyers were first sighted well before noon on Monday. At that time the convoy was south-west of Kavieng, 340 miles northeast of Finschhafen. The weather was so bad that at times our reconnaissance aircraft reported visibility as "zero.” The ships then sailed into an impenetrable storm and all subsequent efforts to locate them were unsuccessful. However, just after midnight, a lone Flying Fortress saw the ships off Finschhafen, and immediately went in to attack. The convoy fled and recurring squalls made it impossible to deliver further attacks. The ships were last sighted north-east of Cape Gloucester at 10.45 a.m. yesterday when they were steaming into another storm front. A lone Liberator shadowing them was intercepted by at least 16 enemy fighters in this area, destroying two and severely damaging at least two others. Other Allied bombers, principally Flying Fortresses and Boston attack planes, which were unable to find the ships, attacked land targets in the Finschhafen and. Madang areas. Heavy damage was done at Finschhafen.