SEEN AT RABAUL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 June 1943, Page 3

SEEN AT RABAUL

SMALL AIRCRAFT=CARRIER ATTACKS BY ALLIED BOMBERS. ON DOCKS AND AIR BASES. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, June 27. Concentrations of Japanese shipping in Rabaul harbour now include a small converted aircraft-carrier. The latest reconnaissance also shows 170 planes on the Rabaul airfield network. This figure shows a slight increase on the numbers recently sighted. It is possible that the carrier has been. used to ferry aircraft to this key enemy base. The Japanese shipping concentration at Rabaul, including warships, remains substantially unchanged. Aircraft concentrations on Vunakanau aerodrome and the Rabaul dock installations were again attacked by General MacArthur’s heavy bombers in a pre-dawn raid on Saturday. More than 20 tons of high explosives and incendiaries were dropped. Intense antiaircraft fire was encountered and two of our bombers are missing. Today's communique makes no specific claims of damage inflicted. An Australian Beaufort bomber on Friday scored a near miss on one of three 1000-ton Japanese vessels in a convey between New Britain and the northern Solomons. A destroyer’ was escorting the merchantman, which appeared to be heading in the direction of Bougainville. The Beaufort attacked 65 miles south-south-east of Cape St. George, in the Rabaul area. Lae, in northern New Guinea, has been under heavy attack by Allied medium bombers, but dense smoke prevented an accurate assessment of the damage. The Madang and Finschhafen areas were also raided in the past 48 hours.

MORE RAIDS ON KISKA CAMP GUN POSITIONS ' BOMEED. LONDON, June 27. In the North Pacific American light and medium bombers, with fighter escort, made six more attacks on Kiska, the Japanese base in the Aleutians. Bombs were dropped in the main camp area and among anti-aircraft gun positions.

CHANGE SEEN IN PACIFIC WAR OUTLOOK. ANTICIPATIONS OF EXPANDING ALLIED ACTION. NEW YORK, June 25. There is in high Allied quarters, a new sense of importance of the Japanese war, says Joseph Harsch, in the "Christian Science Monitor.’ This change has come partly from a basic transformation of the European situation, partly from a growing feeling of the danger of letting Japan go unchallenged too long. Out of this combination has emerged a strategic plan for the Far East which does not challenge the priority of Germany as the enemy to be first defeated, but which elevates Japan almost to parity with Germany as an enemy which must be vigorously challenged at an early date. Mr Harsch says that it is now possible to approach the Japanese problem with the weapons which are now available or will become available within the next six months. What is coming may still be long delayed, but it is definitely no longer a picture of merely having a holding front from A.ttu around the long Pacific arc to India. Australia’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Evatt, said in London today: “The news from Australia is better, and is going to be better still. You can take it from me that not only on the land and in the air, but also on the sea things are going to be much more unpleasant for the enemy than they have been for some time.” ISLAND BASES BOMBED BY LIBERATORS, (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, June 27. The United States Navy Department reports: “In the South Pacific on June 26, a formation of Liberators attacked Japanese positions on Balle Island, in the Shortland area. A number of fires were started. At the same time, another formation of Liberators attacked Japanese positions south of the Shortland Island. The results were not observed. “Later, dive-bombers, escorted by fighters attacked Villa, in the Kolombangara Islands. No planes were lost.