NEAR WEWAK

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 91, 17 April 1943, Page 5

NEAR WEWAK

JAP. CONVOY HIT Direct Hits On Three Ships. Attack Continuing N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent Rec. 11.30 a.m. SYDNEY, this day. The first attack on the enemv convoy of nine vessels approaching Wewak. chief Japanese base on the north coast of New Guinea, Avas made "in the approaches to the harbour," but how far away has not been specified.

The second and third attacks were made at short intervals up to just before midnight on Thursday. Two of the three ships were heavily damaged and received direct hits, while a third was damaged by close misses. Other damage may have been done in attacks which have not yet been announced.

, A communique stated: "An enemv convoy of six merchant vessels and three warships was sighted by our reconnaissance approaching Wewak. Our heavy bombers immediately moved to the attack, and at dusk struck in the approaches to the harbour. In a series of mast-height attacks three oi the vessels were heavily hit. An 8000-ton cargo ship was observed listing rapidly, with a heavy oil slick on the water. Another 8000-ton vessel was seen to be sinking slowly by the stern, and a third vessel, of 5000 tons, was forced to the shore and beached. We are continuing the attack. ■

One cruiser, one destroyer and one gunboat, according to a report, provide the warship escort for the convoy, which is seeking to land further supplies at Wewak. It is not known if enemy troops also are on board, nor has it been indicated whether any of the ships have actually reached Wewak. Persistent Movements The advent of the latest convoy off Wewak following the attacks earlier this week on another convoy at nearby Hansa Bay reaffirms the importance attached by the Japanese to this section of the north NewGuinea coast Wewak is the terminal feeder base for the hard-pressed enemy garrisons in the Lae-Sala-maua-Mubo triangle, with which it has road communication.

The persistence with which the Japanese are moving their shipping in this area and with which thev are expanding the number of their bases lends point to the comment by an Australian war correspondent in New Guinea, who writes: "There are >so many targets in the great arc of

'Japanese bases, outposts and tentative holding points on and around New Guinea—and we have so few aircraft suitable for attacking them. Wewak is nearly 200 miles from the Dutch New Guinea frontier and provides an example of the enemy policy of setting up bases afresh at an inconvenient distance for our bombers. It illustrates his policy for maintaining a hold in awkward positions. Though this base may not be immediately vital to him, his ships keep moving in to strengthen his supplies—and we must tax our limited aircraft resources to watch and harass him.

"It is a fact that the R.A.F., in operations over Europe, habitually loses more aircraft than we are able to send out in New Guinea on an average raid. Whatever the major purpose of the Japanese may be there is no question that they are 10 some extent distracting our effort from its important objectives. These include the recovery of Rabaul or making it untenable for the enemv However, the current campaign of awakening, which is bringing our supply deficiencies under public notice, seems likely now to bring us much-needed strength. "New Guinea is a country where the enemy is hard to find and harder to exterminate. He cannot be roused along, even from his smaller outposts, until our air superiority is constant, widespread and sufficiently overpowering to counter his gift for dispersal and slipperiness— until our bombing capacity reaches, say, a tenth or more of the European or African scale."