TOUGHEST YET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1943, Page 4

TOUGHEST YET

LATEST AIR BATTLE OVER RABAUL FAILURE OF JAPANESE TACTICS BUT CONTINUED EFFORTS EXPECTED (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received This Day, 12.5 p.m. SYDNEY, This Day. “It was like 1 a Hollywood version of a raid,” said a Lockheed Lightning pilot, describing Tuesday’s spectacular air attack on Rabaul. Allied airmen agree that the battle was the toughest yet fought in the South-West Pacific. Estimates of the number of Zeros in the air vary from 100 to 200. Although outnumbered by about two to one, the Lightnings shot the Zeros to pieces. Most of the Zeros evidently had just arrived at Rabaul. They were brightly -painted and bore no signs of the vol-, canic dust which dims them after two or three days in the Rabaul area. Our Lightning fighters struck first. They arrived 3 minutes ahead of a powerful force of Mitchell medium bombers. Japanese warships fired many rounds of anti-aircraft shells directly into the water in front of our attacking bombers. These caused waterspouts more than 100 feet high. A collision with such a waterspout means disaster for a plane attacking at a low level, but none of the Mitchells were lost by the enemy ruse. Photographs taken during the battle confirm every detail of the damage claimed, but the Japanese losses must be measured cautiously against the major forces which the enemy has assigned to counter-action in the Solo-mons-Rabaul area. A reverse may postpone, but is not likely to cancel out the evident Japanese determination to make a strong fight on this front. However, with not even a pretence of air equality, the Japanese have only the remotest chance of checking the Allied advances in the Solomons. NAVAL BATTLE BEING FOUGHT WEST OF BOUGAINVILLE ACCORDING TO TOKIO (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, November 4. An official statement from Tokio, quoted by the Swiss radio, says a naval battle is in progress west of Bougainville. SENT TO BOTTOM JAPANESE CRUISER & THREE DESTROYERS TWO OTHER ENEMY SHIPS HIT LONDON, November 4. A Japanese cruiser and three destroyers have been sunk off the American beachhead on Bougainville Island, in the Solomons. Two other Japanese ships were hit. No Allied vessels were lost. It is not yet clear whether this refers to a new action or to the engagement on Monday night when Allied warships intercepted a force of Japanese cruisers and destroyers and drove them off. All organised resistance on Treasury Island ended yesterday.