DEVASTATING ASSAULT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1943, Page 3

DEVASTATING ASSAULT

MADE BY ALLIED AIRCRAFT ON RABAUL HARBOUR ALMOST SWEPT CLEAN FIFTEEN ENEMY SHIPS SUNK AND 85 PLANES DESTROYED (Bv Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) SYDNEY, (November 4. In one of the most devastating aerial blows of the Pacific war (reported in part yesterday), General. MacArthur’s aircraft have sunk 15 ships and destroyed 85 planes at Rabaul. hi addition, 11 other vessels were hit and 23 planes probably destroyed. Altogether, 94,000 tons of enemy merchant shipping was either sunk or seriously damaged. This is the heaviest loss of Japanese merchant shipping since the battle of the Bismarck Sea. Mitchell medium bombers, escorted by Lockheed Lightning fighters, made the smashing assault shortly after midday on Tuesday. Coming in at masthead height, they practically swept the harbour clean of enemy shipping. Their 10001 b bombs 'were “skipped” against Japanese war and merchant shipping with the following detailed results: —

SUNK. —Three destroyers, eight large merchant ships, four coastal ships. DAMAGED.—Two heavy cruisers, seven large merchant ships, two tankers. Eight float-planes and two four-en-gined flying-boats were also sunk. A desperate air battle was fought over Rabaul with upwards of 150 Zeros in the air. Of these, 67 were shot down and 23 others were probably destroyed. At Lakunai aerodrome seven enemy fighters ajid one bomber were destroyed on the ground, and other planes were damaged. Nine Allied bombers and 10 fighters were lost. MACARTHUR’S REPORT Reporting the raid, General MacArthur’s communique says: “Anticipating that a counter-attack on our right wing in Bougainville was in preparation at Rabaul, we attacked the enemy’s naval concentrations in .the harbour from the air. A desperate battle ensued. The enemy’s air component as well as his anti-aircraft batteries went into full action to support his war ci'aft and merchant shipping. Our fighter cover engaged his attacking planes and our medium bombers went in at masthead height. “The harbour was practically swept clean, nearly every ship there being heavily hit or sunk by 10001 b bombs. The entire shipping area was a scene of utter wreckage and destruction. The air battle was of the fiercest.” This great Allied assault against the key enemy base in the South-West Pacific is regarded as one of the most daring and aggressive blows ever mounted by the American Fifth Air Force. General MacArthur informed war correspondents that he had given orders that the attack must go through at all costs. He believed its success would assure the security of the Allied foothold on Empress Augusta Bay. It was known that the Japanese had been rapidly concentrating air and shipping strength at Rabaul. Indeed, shipping arrived in the harbour, probably from Truk, only a few hours before the raid. PRECEDING BLOWS This was the sixth large-scale air attack on Rabaul in the past three weeks. Details of the earlier blows are:— October 13-14, a total of 177 Japanese planes destroyed or damaged; 49 ships and 70 harbour craft sunk or damaged. October 18: Sixty Japanese planes destroyed, a destroyer, a gunboat, and a 6000-ton cargo ship sunk. ' October 23-24: A total of 123 planes destroyed, and 45 probably destroyed. October 25: Fifty-eight Japanese planes destroyed, and 43 damaged. October 31: Forty-five Japanese planes destroyed and 18 probably destroyed. DAY OF WILD BATTLE INEFFECTIVE ENEMY EFFORTS. SYDNEY”, November 4. Mitchell bomber crews who participated in the big raid declare that it was the wildest day they had ever known over Rabaul. Japanese fighter pilots showing rare daring closed in in desperate at tempts to drive off the Allied raici ers. Japanese warsnips laid a heavy smoke screen, but our pilots flew through it down to 50ft. to “skip” bomb shipping. Reconnaissance before the raid showed that Rabaul after earlier heavy losses had been again strongly reinforced in aircraft and ships. More than 200 planes were on the major aerodromes, while Simpson’s Harbour was crowded with warships and merchant vessels. One pilot described the attack as follows: “The sky was black with ackack and huge billows of black smoke shot, through with great streaks of red. All round us were blazing ships. We could feel the heat from the fires as we swept past. The town was ablaze—everywhere there was smoke, fire and destruction.” GAINS ON BOUGAINVILLE EXTENSION OF OCCUPIED AREA. ATTACKS ON ENEMY AIRFIELDS . & PLANES. ' SYDNEY, November 4. American ground forces have consolidated and enlarged their beachhead at Empress Augusta Bay, on Bougainville. The Japanese in the area abandoned 135 dead. General MacArthur’s communique which gives details of the progress of the Solomons land fighting, adds that torpedobombers supported the troops and fighter patrols in numerous clashes shot down 21 Japanese fighters. Seven other planes were probably destroyed. Buka and Bonis aerodromes were attacked with 28 tons of bombs, Kara aerodrome, with 46 tons and Kahili, with 143 tons. Grounded aircraft and

small coastal vessels were destroyed. A war correspondent in the SouthWest Pacific says that Admiral Halsey’s spokesman reported the capture by American Marines of Sangigai, on Choiseul Island. The Marines seized quantities of supplies and equipment as a force of 100 Japanese retreated to the south-east. JUNGLE FIGHTING VIEWS OF MIDDLE EAST VETERANS. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, November 4. Many Australian veterans of the Middle East in New Guinea are revising their opinions of jungle fighting. Some already prefer it to desert warfare. Their reasons briefly are: First, Japanese tactics are often so stupid as to be incomprehensible. Secondly, the Japanese individually is not so formidable a fighter as the German and, once his few tricks are countered, he is completely lost. Thirdly, our men in New Guinea do not encounter the same concentration of artillery fire. Fourthly, water is rarely a problem. An Australian war correspondent says, however, that he believes that most A.I.F. men in New Guinea would return to the Middle East if given the chance.