HEAVY TOLL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 October 1943, Page 3

HEAVY TOLL

TAKEN OF JAPANESE AIR SQUADRONS BATTLES IN NEW GUINEA & SOLOMONS. AT LEAST 104 ENEMY PLANES DESTROYED. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, October 18. In some of the fiercest aerial battles of the war in the Pacific theatre General MacArthur’s aircraft over the north coast of New Guinea on Friday and Saturday shot down 86 Japanese bombers and fighters and destroyed 12 more on the ground. This is a record for combat losses inflicted on the enemy in the area. Together with the losses in the Solomon Islands, the number of Japanese aircraft reported destroyed or damaged in General MacArthur’s communique today is 147. Of these, 104 (comprising 67 fighters and 37 bombers) were definitely destroyed, while an additional 43 were probably destroyed. Though again challenged numerically, the Allied qualitative aerial superiority in the Southern Pacific appears to bo more pronounced than ever following our highly-successful concentrated attacks on the Japanese bases in north New Guinea and. more recently, on Rabaul and New Britain. While the enemy still seems to be able to replace the planes destroyed, the Allied superiority is sufficiently marked, to enable the provision of fighter escorts for our extensive bomber raids and at the same time to maintain adequate fighter defence to smash the Japanese aerial attempts to hit back against our territory. The heaviest losses in the latest actions were inflicted by our fighters when a large group of enemy divebombers and fighters attempted to attack Allied shipping at Oro Bay, on the north New Guinea coast. The Allied fighters shot down 26 enemy bombers and 20 fighters, and probably destroyed 11 other planes. General MacArthur’s communique says that the attacking force was “virtually annihilated before any damage could be done.” Some of our planes were damaged, but all returned to their base. The other destruction of Japanese aircraft is listed by the communique as follows: — “Wewak: —Our escorted medium bombers destroyed six enemy bombers and four fighters and either destroyed or badly damaged 12 other bombers in a low-level attack on Wewak and Boram aerodromes. Twenty to 30 Japanese fighters intercepted, 16 being destroyed and three probably destroyed. One Allied plane was lost and a number were damaged. “Madang: —Our unescorted medium bombers destroyed two enemy planes on the ground at Alexshafen. Thirty to 40 Japanese fighters intercepted, 16 being destroyed and several probably destroyed. One Allied plane was lost and (several were damaged. “Finchhafen: —Our fighters intercepted a formation of 15 Japanese bombers and 12 fighters off the coast, destroying five bombers and one fighter and probably destroying three fighters. “Vitiaz Strait: —An Allied heavy reconnaissance unit destroyed two out of nine intercepting enemy fighters.

“Buin (Solomons): —Six out of 15 intercepting enemy fighters were destroyed by Allied fighters when our escorted heavy units raided Kahili aerodrome.”