SMASHING RAIDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 August 1943, Page 3

SMASHING RAIDS

DESTRUCTION OF JAPANESE AIR FLEET ALLIED BLOW AT WEWAK ONLY TEN ENEMY PLANES ESCAPE. OUT OF TOTAL OF 225. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, August 19. Three smashing successes reported by General MacArthur’s communique today again emphasise the growing weight of Allied air and naval supremacy in the South Pacific. The communique says: “New Guinea, Wewak: We have completed the destruction of the remnants of the Japanese air force centred on Wewak. Of 'the 225 planes originally assembled, yesterday’s surprise attack destroyed 120 on the ground and three in the air and damaged 50 on the ground, leaving still existent 52 undamaged, in addition to those 50 damaged. “Our attacks in all categories were continued in incessant waves today. The enemy mounted 30 fighters to meet the onslaught and 28 were shot down. The fields were, then combed to practical annihilation. Only 10 planes of the 225 escaped. The remaining 215 are now gone.

“We then struck the town and harbour area, setting on fire three mediumsized cargo-ships, sinking a number of barges and leaving 20 large fires in supply and dump areas. We lost three planes, bringing cur total to six. This closes the combat.”

Pilots returning to complete' Tuesday's destruction at Wewak report “piles of ashes and many wings and tails lying round.” More than 200 Allied aircraft took part in the original attack and yesterday 150 made the final raid.

Pilots report terrific destruction at Borum aerodrome, where 120 machines of the Japanese air fleet were concentrated. Supply installations and shipping in the harbour also suffered heavily in the latest attacks on Wewak. Mitchell medium bomber pilots report that five vessels in the harbour were left ablaze, though the communique claims only three vessels set on fire. The Lightning fighters screening the attacking Allied bomber formations apparently operated from forward air strips. Hitherto the extreme range--175 miles—had restricted Wewak missions exclusively to night attacks by unescorted bombers.* DESTROYERS AMBUSHED SURPRISED BY ALLIED SHIPS. , ACTION IN THE SOLOMONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, August 19. Reporting operations in the Solomons, General MacArthur’s communique states: “Vella Lavella: Allied surface units during a half-hour night engagement off Vella Gulf, ambushed an enemy force of four destroyers which were escorting a number of barges, seriously damaging two destroyers, one of which probably sank. They hit a third and probably destroyed most of the barges. Some of those remaining probably succeeded in landing on the north-east coast. In spite of sporadic attacks by eight enemy planes, we suffered neither damage nor casualties. “One of our supply convoys withdrawing from the area was attacked during the night by enemy aircraft and one small cargo ship was set on fire and destroyed.”