IN PACIFIC ZONE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 230, 29 September 1942, Page 3

IN PACIFIC ZONE

ALLIED AIR ACTIVITY

15,000-ton Jap. Merchant Ship Hit In Rabaul Harbour

Special Australian Correspondent

United Press A^ociation—Copyright

SYDNEY, Sept. 23

Allied heavy bomber? have scored a direct hit and a near miss on a 15,000-ton Japanese merchant ship in Rabaul Harbour. When last seen the vessel was on fire, with columns of black smoke rising from amidships and the stern. The vessel, the largest reported to be hit in a series of five raids in six days on Rabaul shipping, is believed to have been sunk.

The Flying Fortresses which made the attack came in shortlv after dawn and dropped their bombs from a medium altitude. Their target was the largest ship in the enemy concentration. Ten minutes later"dense columns of smoke were seen rising to 300 feet.

There has been no change in the New Guinea land situation. After holding the Japanese for 10 davs on the southern side of the Owen "Stanley front the Australians are getting the upper hand. Allied aircraft have again bombed and machine-gunned the enemy supply line. In the BunaKokoda area supply installations, barges, camps and storage buildings were attacked and fires were started. Allied medium bombers made a night raid on an enemy airfield at Buin, on the southern end of Bougainville Island, in the Solomons.

Jap. Air losses in Solomons

A delayed message from the American United Press correspondent, Mr. Robert Miller, says American* flyers operating from the Kukum airfield, on Guadalcanar, up to September 16 had shot down 127 Japanese planes, sunk two ships and damaged five and sunk 16 launches as well as damaging vital enemv ■ground installations. In four weeks 10 United? States flyers destroved< 82 : enemy planes. The American 'losses, he says, were 19 planes and 16 nrn missing.

Japanese offensive m the Pacific during the past [24 hoars has been another ineffectual night raid on Darwin. Two or three planes dropped bombs harmlessly in scrub.

However, although actual Japanese air activities remain small, the Tokyo radio continues to broadcast fantastic claims of devastating attacks. Allied troops at Port Moresby have been intrigued by Tokyo's newest claim that Port Moresby's non-existent tram service has been bombed out of action. Actually, Japanese planes have made three raids on the Port Moresby area during the past week, but they caused no damage or casualties.

There is still no sign that the Japanese are yet prepared to challenge Allied air supremacy in New Guinea. Since September 15 not a day has passed without Allied fighter or bomber attacks on the enemy supply route in the BunaKokoda area. Attempts at interception by enemy fighters have been made on only two occasions.