TERRIFIC HAVOC

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 September 1943, Page 3

TERRIFIC HAVOC

WROUGHT IN DEVASTATING AIR ATTACK ■ ON JAPANESE NEW GUINEA BASE. DUMPS EXPLODED & BUILDINGS LEFT IN RUINS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, September 3. In one of the most devastating raids yet made in the New Guinea area, Liberator and Mitchell bombers with a strong escort of Lightning fighters, on Wednesday dropped more than 206 tons of bombs on the Japanese headquarters and supply base of Madang, on the north-eastern coast. The bomb load was the greatest yet dropped in a single day’s raids, in the South-West Pacific, and terrific havoc was caused. This smashing attack is reported in General MacArthur’s latest communique. Madang is the most important Japanese base between Wewak and Salamaua. The raiders also poured 90,000 rounds of heavy calibre ammunition into the target area, which included the Amron mission and the Alexishafen aerodrome 10 miles away. Warehouses, buildings and headquarters’ sites were left in ruins, fuel and ammunition dumps were exploded, and more than 50 fires were left raging throughout the area, from which flames rose to a height of 1500 feet.