NAVAL MASTERY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1943, Page 3

NAVAL MASTERY

GAINED BY AMERICANS OVER IMPORTANT PACIFIC AREAS. ON WAY TO TRUK & RABAUL. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) PEARL HARBOUR. December 10. Further raids on the Marshalls by American bombers are reported in the Navy Department’s communique. A navy Liberator on reconnaissance yesterday bombed and strafed base facilities at Jaldit, sinking a patrol boat and probably sinking a medium freighter with two small vessels. A Ventura bomber strafed installations at Mille in the face of heavy automatic weapon fire. Developing its powerful central Pacific offensive, the navy for the second time in four days has boldly entered heavily-defended enemy waters seeking battle, says the United Press' correspondent. The bombardment of Nauru by naval guns meant that American ships approached within a few miles of powerful enemy air bases. It is evident that the Pacific fleet now dominates the waters of the Gilbert and Marshall groups, westward to Nauru, on the way to Truk and Rabaul. A naval spokesman disclosed that the American losses in Saturday's raid on the Marshalls consisted of four Hellcat fighters and one Dauntless dive-bomber. The polot of the divebomber was saved. The spokesman added that the Marshalls will be a tough nut to crack whenever invasion is attempted. Our objective in attacking the Marshalls'was to destroy aircraft and shipping which had moved in as a result of the capture of the Gilberts. ,