POUNDED DAILY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 September 1943, Page 3

POUNDED DAILY

BV POWERFUL ALLIED AIR FORCES JAPANESE BASE IN CENTRAL SOLOMONS. INVASION MAY BE IMMINENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY. September 17. The air offensive against Bougainville Island, the most powerful Japanese base in the Central Solomons, has assumed proportions suggesting that an Allied invasion is imminent, says the Sydney “Sun’s” South Pacific war correspondent, Winston Turner. Bougainville airfields are strongly garrisoned—the estimates of enemy strength run as high as 40,000 men. The blitz is similar to that which preceded the invasion of New Georgia. Today’s communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters ' states that strong forces of heavy, torpedo and dive-bombers, with fighter escort, carried out successful attacks on enemy aerodromes in the Buin area of Bougainville Island throughout Wednesday. The enemy base at Vila on Kolombangara Island was bombed by medium units. Recent intermittent harassing raids on Bougainville have developed into daily poundings of the big airfields by Admiral Halsey’s naval bombers, General Harmon’s 13th Army Air Force, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Japanese are rushing in air reinforcements, but we are destroying the planes on fields as soon as they arrive, says the correspondent. The quality of Japanese airmen is deteriorating fast, and their fighter pilots are showing increasing reluctance to intercept. Our planes are taking a heavy toll of enemy shipping attempting to reinforce the forces on Bougainville. NAVAL BATTLE REPORTED BY JAPANESE. LONDON, September 16. The Japanese report that a big naval and air battle is going on in the Solomons between New Guinea and Kolombangara Island. MORE PROGRESS AGAINST ENEMY AT LAE. ATTACKERS ONE MILE FROM BASE. LONDON, September 17. In New Guinea Allied troops are one mile from the Japanese base at Lae. i