FULL STORY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 October 1943, Page 3

FULL STORY

OF THE LATEST ATTACKS ON RABAUL HEAVY AND CONTINUING DESTRUCTION. OF JAPANESE AIR STRENGTH. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, October 26. The story of the latest Allied air attacks on Rabaul is given today in General MacArthur’s communique, which says: “Our air force on successive days executed two heavy attacks on the enemy aerodromes at Vunakanau, Rapopo and Tobera, crippling the enemy’s ah reinforcements which he was attempting to build up from the rear areas. Our escorted heavy bombers in force struck first at Rapopo aerodrome with 105 tons of explosives, destroying 20 parked aircraft, with seven more probables, and causing numerous fires in dispersal areas. An attempted interception by 50 enemy fighters resulted in 15 being shot down and three probably destroyed. “Next day a strong force of our medium bombers with a fighter escort bombed and strafed Vunakanau, Rapopo and Tobera aerodromes from tree-top height, starting several large fires in supply dumps and dispersal areas and causing heavy damage to ground installations. Forty-five enemy bombers were destroyed and 10 others probably destroyed on the runways and in revetments at Vunakanau and Rapopo alone, and additional heavy damage was caused at Tobera. During a one-hour fight with 70 enemy interceptors, our planes shot down 43 of the enemy and probably destroyed 15. In the two-day combat, we destroyed a total of 123 planes on the ground and in the air, and probably destroyed 45 others. Many of our planes sustained damage, but only four failed to return.” Nearly 300 Allied planes were employed in the latest attacks on Rabaul. where a concentration of more than 200 enemy aircraft had been observed by our aerial reconnaissance last Wednesday. Since October 12, when 177 enemy aircraft were destroyed or damaged at Rabaul, the Japanese have lost more than 500 planes in the South-West Pacific area. The total enemy air losses claimed in General MacArthur’s communique today for operations throughout the New Guinea and Solomons are'as are 131 planes destroyed and 71 probably destroyed. Allied losses' were negligible, two Mitchell medium bombers and two Lightning fighters failing to return to their bases. BLACK MONTH FOR ENEMY IN PACIFIC. AIR AND SHIPPING LOSSES. <By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, October 26. Heavy air and shipping losses, combined with land defeats, are making October a black month for the Japanese in the South-West Pacific areas. Today’s communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters reported the heavy enemy air reverses at Rabaul also lists of ship destruction. A Catalina on night reconnaissance near Cape Orford on the south-east coast of New Britain set a destroyer on fire with several direct bomb-hits and left it a total loss. In the same area, Beaufighters sank five coastal vessels as well as shooting down a Japanese float-plane. Liberators on long-range reconnaissance attacked and damaged a 2500-tpn cargo vessel near Greenwich Island, midway between New Ireland and the big enemy base at Truk. They also set a 1500-ton cargo vessel on fire. When a strong force of Japanese dive-bombers tried to attack our shipping at Finschhafen, in northern New Guinea, they were dispersed by our fighters, which shot down six and probably four more without loss, No damage was done to our ships. Admiral Halsey’s aircraft, in a series of raids on the Kahili and Kara aerodromes on Bougainville Island, in the northern Solomons, probably destroyed 20 and damaged others of enemy aircraft caught on the ground.