RAID ON DARWIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 June 1943, Page 3

RAID ON DARWIN

TWO JAPANESE PLANES

SHOT DOWN FOUR OTHERS PROBABLY DESTROYED. ONE SPITFIRE MISSING. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY. June 29. Nine Japanese twin-engined bombers, escorted by nine Zeros, attempted to raid the Darwin area about midday yesterday. Spitfires shot down two of the enemy fighters. Two other fighters and two bombers are claimed as probably destroyed. One Spitfire is missing. The Japanese planes dropped their bomb-loads from 26,000 ft., and . the damage is officially described as light. There were no casualties. This was Darwin's 56th raid. Last week, Spitfires destroyed or damaged 24 Japanese planes over the Darwin area. Flying through extremely bad weather across the Banda Sea. Liberators yesterday struck at Laha airfield, on Amboina Island, 580 miles north of Darwin, and at the-nearby island of Boeroe. Bad weather prevented observation of the results.

The only other air activities reported by General MacArthur's latest communique were attacks by single heavy bombers on reconnaissance on the airfields at Cape Gloucester and Rabaul, in New Britain. Rapopo aerodrome was the target at Rabaul. Commenting on the recent absence of large-scale Japanese offensive air activity in the New Guinea sector, one war correspondent suggests that improved weather conditions may see a resumption of the enemy's 100-plane raids. The correspondent also reports that the Japanese have amassed considerable troop strength in New Guinea—perhaps greater -than at any previous stage of the war. The enemy's bases from Wewak to Salamaua have been strengthened and strong patrols pushed inland. At one point in the Bismarck Range country they have penetrated to a depth of more than 50 miles from the coast. This is round the head-waters of the Ramu and Markham Rivers. The Allies hold territory about 20 miles to the southwest.

AMERICAN AIRCRAFT

BUSY IN NORTH & SOUTH PACIFIC.

VARIOUS ENEMY BASES BOMBED.

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.0 a.m.) LONDON, June 29.

Many more attacks on Kiska are reported in a United States Navy Department communique, which also states that a formation of Dauntless divebombers and Avenger torpedo-bomb-ers, escorted by Wildcats, attacked a Japanese position on Rekata Bay, in Santa Isabel Island in the South Pacific. The bombing created so much smoke that observation was difficult. Another formation attacked Munda, in New Georgia Island. A number of fires were started, some in the centre of an ammunition dump area. Night bombing was carried out over Japanese naval dispositions in the Central Solomons area. The results were not observed. All planes returned from these attacks.