N.Z. CORSAIRS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 262, 4 November 1944, Page 6

N.Z. CORSAIRS

NEW BRITAIN RAIDS

LITTLE AIR OPPOSITION

(N.Z.E.F. Official News Service)

BOUGAINVILLE, Nov. 3,

Strafing bombing in the New Britain-Bougainville theatre is continuing to occupy the attention of New Zealand Corsair fighterbombers, attacks being made on a wide variety of targets with excellent results. Japanese opposition from the ground is fairly intense in places, as a flight of Corsairs found when they strafed two enemy naval fighters reported to be serviceable on the ground at Tobara, New Britain. Tracers were seen going into the aircraft. The area in which the aircraft were found proved to be surrounding by machine-guns, and the Corsairs had to dive through a hail of fire. Several were hit, but there were no losses.

An enemv tank was another target on the New Britain sweep. The New Zealanders rounded off that trip by blowing up a heavily laden enemy truck. Other Corsairs on a strafing mission left three trucks smoking, and set a stack of large pe'trol drums on fire.

New Zealand raiders attacking targets at. .Bougainville strafed huts and gun positions near Kieta and Kahili, and also in the Shortland Islands. Another patrol of Corsairs sighted a boat close inshore in which a number of Japanese were making their way along .the coast. The Japanese wasted no time getting over the side, but the boat was sent to the bottom and the area of jungle into which the Japanese scrambled for shelter was heavily strafed. New Zealand pilots also participated in Allied bombing missions against ammunition dumps at Arawa on the east -coast of . Bougainville, while others obliterated a large supply of dumps near Kahi 1 ?.