AERIAL BLOWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 December 1943, Page 3

AERIAL BLOWS

AGAINST KEV JAPANESE BASES ENEMY SHIPPING HEAVILY PUNISHED DESTROYER & TWO FREIGHTERS SUNK (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, December 27. Smashing aerial blows are being delivered against key Japanese bases in the South-West Pacific. Carrier-based planes of Admiral Halsey’s command have inflicted heavy punishment on enemy shipping at Kavieng, New Ireland, sinking a destroyer and two large cargo vessels and damaging a destroyer, a patrol-boat and several small cargo ships. They also destroyed or damaged eight anchored floatplanes. In powerful attacks against Rabaul on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day land-based bombers and fighters from the' Solomons destroyed 41 Japanese fighters, and 13 others were probably destroyed. Eleven Allied planes were losht.

Fierce air battles developed over Rabaul when Japanese fighters challenged the Allied raiding forces. Between 50 and 60 interceptors went up against Liberators which were bombing Vunakanau aerodrome at midday on Friday, but escorting Warhawks. Hellcats and Lightnings engaged the Zeros, shooting down 28 and probably destroying six others.' Seven Allied fighters were lost. The second raid on Christmas Day was also strongly contested by Japanese fighters, but again the Liberators emerged unscathed and our escorting fighters this time destroyed 13 enemy interceptors and probably seven, with the loss of five.

After the Christmas Day attack against enemy shipping harbour was left, strewn with sinking and badly-damaged vessels. Other Japanese bases in New Britain which felt the weight of Allied air attacks during the Christmas period included Gasmata airfield and Cape Hoskings, where 16 trucks on an airstrip were destroyed and 14 barges along the coast were destroyed or damaged. At dawn on Christmas Day, say reports from Admiral Halsey's headquarters, an American cruiser and destroyer task force poured 7500 shells into the Japanese bases at Buka and Bonis. They started many fires.