FOLLOWED UP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 November 1943, Page 3

FOLLOWED UP

RECENT SMASHING ATTACK ON RABAUL NIGHT RAID BY ALLIED BOMBERS. HEAVY CRUISER PROBABLY TORPEDOED. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, November 8. Allied bombers followed up Friday’s smashing attack on the Japanese convoys and shipping concentrations with a night raid on Rabaul. General MacArthur’s communique today records that a heavy cruiser was probably hit by a torpedo during the latest attack, and a cargo vessel was also hit and left enveloped in flames. No further information is available today about thp enemy convoys which were reported during the past few days io have moving to reinforce Rabaul. In the most recent attack on this base, made on Friday night, Vunakar.ua aerodrome was also pounded, three large fuel fires being started. On Saturday afternoon a Liberator attacked a Japanese light cruiser 80 miles northwest of Massau Island, in the New Ireland zone, and aircraft from the South Pacific Command bombed a destroyer tender north-west of Cape St. George. The results are not recorded. Other widespread attacks against er.emy shipping which are reported in today’s communique included the sinking of four large barges by our patrol torpedo-boats in Vitiaz Strait (between New Britain and New Guinea) and in the Kieta area on the east coast of Bougainville. Mitchells destroyed or damaged three small coastal vessels and 12 barges. Of the coastal vessels one of 300 ft. was left burning, one of 150 ft, blevz up and a third, 100 ft. long, was severely damaged. Four more coastal vessels were sunk by Beaufighters in a sweep over the Tenimber Islands, to the north of Australia. Three Japanese air raids in New Guinea are reported. The first was on the Nadzab aerodrome in the Markham Valley on Saturday night, the second was on Gusap by four fighters, and the third was near Dumpu by a single bomber. Only minor damage was caused.