OVER TOWNSVILLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 138, 24 March 1942, Page 3

OVER TOWNSVILLE.

SUPPOSED RECONNAISSANCE. HEAVY ALLIED ATTACK ON LAE. • i CANBERRA, '.March 23. Unidentified aircraft reported over Townsville, on the north Queensland roast, in the last two days are believed to have been Japanese reconnaissance aeroplanes. The latest Allied attacks on Japanese ' occupied islands north of Australia are described in a Canberra communique as the most successful yet. In Allied attacks on aerodromes in Now Guinea and Nlew Britain a total of 23 enemy aircraft were destroyed. In a heavy attack on I*ae, on the north-east coast of New Guinea, bombs falling among grounded aircraft destroyed three bombers and nine fighters and damaged two other bombers and three fighters. Japanese running for shelter were machine-gunned. Japanese interceptor aircraft were driven off. one being shot into the sea and another damaged. Tn an attack on Rabaul on Saturday bombs were seen to fall in the target area. Enemy fighters failed to drive off the attack, and two were probably destroyed. The harbour at Koepang, in Dutch Timor, was also bombed. Two Allied aircraft are missTlie raid on Darwin yesterday was 'the sixth that town has suffered. One aborigine was .killed and one, injured in the raid on Katherine, 100 miles inland in the Northern Territory. The Berlin radio declared that the' Japanese in New Guinea were now 60 miles from Port Moresby and were still advancing from the north. A daring Australian sortie by a small patrol is reported from Port Moresby. The Australians made their way through the enemy lines, visited enemy-occupied Salamaua, and got back safely with valuable information about Japanese strength and dispositions. . It is reported from Mol bourne that i the Supreme Commander in the Southwest Pacific (General MacArthur) will confer to-day with the Australian Army Minister (Mr F. EM. Forde) and the service chiefs. He will go to Canberra on Tuesday to meet the Prime Minister (Mr J. Curtin).