AGAIN BLASTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 December 1943, Page 3

AGAIN BLASTED

JAPANESE SUPPLY BASE AT WEWAK AUSTRALIANS CLOSING ON BONGA. FURTHER BOMBING RAIDS ALSO IN SOLOMONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, November 30. For the second .successive day Liberator bombers on Sunday heavily attacked the Japanese supply base at Wewak, on. the northern coast of New Guinea. The attack followed a recent report that 100 Japanese planes, mostly fighters, bad been massed in the area.

Wewak and Boram airfields were attacked at medium height by several waves of Liberators, which dropped 94 tons of bombs on dispersal areas and supply dumps, causing numerous large explosions and fires. The raid was carried out without air opposition. Allied observers say it is possible that the Japanese have found it unprofitable to match their fighters against our heavily armed bombers. General MacArthur’s latest communique reports that on the Huon Peninsula Australian ground forces with tank support are closing in on Bonga from the south. Allied medium bombers in direct support blasted enemy positions on the Wareo trail with 44 tons of explosives. The Japanese withdrew to Bonga, which is about 10 miles north of Finschhafen, when the Australians drove them out of Satelberg. Bonga was a staging point in the enemy’s barge system and now on the coastal terminal might be a suitable place to bring in reinforcements or attempt to escape by barge along the coast to the north.

Japanese shipping north of Rabaul was attacked by night reconnaissance aircraft which probably damaged a destroyer.

In the Solomons, heavy raids were made by Admiral Halsey’s bombers in support of the -American forces at Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville Island. Escorted torpedo and dive-bomb-ers, followed by medium bombers, attacked ground targets at Mosigetta, Mawaraka and Mutupina with 68 tons of explosives, causing heavy damage. Kieta, on the eastern coast of Bougainville, was strafed by Allied fighter patrols which started fires in the town. Barges were also strafed at scattered points along the coast. At Buka, north of Bougainville Island, escorted medium bombers pounded the aerodrome with 34 tons of explosives. Carola harbour was bombed and strafed and fires were started at Bonis.