Heavy Jap Sea, Air And Ground Losses At Rabaul

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 237, 6 October 1945, Page 4

Heavy Jap Sea, Air And Ground Losses At Rabaul

By NOEL HOLMES, Auckland Star War Reporter

RABAUL, Sept. 25. DOTH the Japanese Navy and Air D Force stationed at Rabaul received sound trouncings from the Americans and New Zealanders in the early days. Some figures are now available.

Take the Japanese Air Force as an instance. The other day five enemy aircraft were surrendered to the R.N.Z.A.F. at Jacquinot Bay. Those were the only aircraft serviceable at Rabaul and there are only a further three here which can possibly be made to fly.

These eight planes are all that are left out of a force of 1190 aircraft, if Japanese figures are to be believed New Zealanders can take their share of the credit in this record of destruction. The R.N.Z.A.F. shot down in air combat probably 120 to 130 planes and destroyed an unknown number on the ground.

A small instance of how Japanese sea strength was knocked out is provided b> .he sight of Simpson Harbour, Rabaul, to-day. In this harbour from late 1942 until mid-1943 the average tonnage of shipping amounted to a quarter of a million tons, with peaks of 350,000 tons

Nowadays the only vessels afloat are Allied The foreshore is littered with wreckage of small craft and a swift count shows 38 large vessels either sunk or grounded in the bay It is utterly impossible to estimate the tonnage of shipping which is resting on the bottom orlistinJ drunkenly in shallower water, som! of the larger vessels with only masts and smokestacks showing. It was here that the cruiser Atasrn stopped a direct hit and, aUhoufh she managed to make Truk she wls in very poor shape. This is the o™?v major war vessel, according to The Japanese, which was severely dam aged in the immediate! vicinity bm New Zealand pilots have good cause to know the toll taken of Jananesl InaP S Gu°a f da^naH etWeen BOU SfIII

There is certainly no doubt ahnmthe annihilation of the enemy Ai Force and Navy in this aria ™ Army, too, did riot escape "ntcatiSf In the vicinity of Rabaul, since December, 1942, Jap Army losses through bombing or combaf on thl ground amounted to 65,000 A fur ther 25,000 died of disease. These are Jap figures and it is not likelv that they would be exaggerated 5