TARGETS IN BURMA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 October 1943, Page 4

TARGETS IN BURMA

SUSTAINED R.A.F. ATTACKS ON ENEMY TROOP POSITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS. ONE AREA HEAVILY BLASTED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.55 a.m.) RUGBY, October 22. “Troop positions and communications were again the principal targets of R.A.F. bombers and fighters in Burma yesterday,” states an India communique. Vengeances dive-bombed Japanese troops in the Kalemyo area with good effect, while Beaufighters attacked two groups of army huts at Monglong, 70 miles north-east of Mandalay, and left many on fire. Other Beaufighters, patrolling railways in the Shewbo district, heavily damaged four locomotives, storage dumps and wagons. Early on Thursday morning Wellingtons dropped bombs on Meiktila airfield and on railway yards at Sagaing. On Wednesday, in addition to the operations reported yesterday. Vengeances and Hurricanes attacked troops in the Buthidaung area. From all these operations none of our aircraft are missing..

“It is now learned that in the air raid on Chittagong on Wednesday, antiaircraft gunners damaged four enemy aircraft, of which three were probably destroyed.

“Blasting Japanese positions in the Myuth Valley, Vengeances dropped over 60,000 pounds of high explosives in three days recently. Bombs were rained down in a series of concentrated raids by a squadron which had been giving close support to the army in breaking up enemy movements. The Vengeances dived to 3,000 feet to release their loads on troop concentrations.”