AUSTRALIAN AIR OFFENSIVE

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23589, 17 March 1942, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN AIR OFFENSIVE

“Early Results Encouraging” DISTRIBUTION OF ENEMY FORCES (Received March 16, 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 16. The correspondent of the Sydney “Daily Telegraph” at Port Moresby says: "The constant hammering by the Royal Australian Air Force is making the Japanese positions in the New Guinea zone increasingly uncomfortable. Thg bases at Salamaua and Lae are be subjected to an air offensive that i‘ owing in intensity. "Sc have been the early rr' "of this offensive that there is plcT,-. £«,■„ hope that New Guinea may rock on which the eastern end of the Japanese sweep southwards will break.” The Port Moresby correspondent of the "Sydney Morning Herald' 1 says: “The Japanese are now obliged to split their available air strength over at least three main bases—Huon Gulf, Gasmata, and Rabaul —and there is every indication from the methods of operation that they are now’ trying to conserve their aircraft as much as poslible. “In the raid on Port Moresby on Saturday, by nine heavy bombers _ in tight-packed formation, the machines kept at an extreme altitude and well away from anti-aircraft fire, and made only one hurried run over the target before they dropped their bombs and made off at top speed.” The correspondent adds; “The Japanese, who have been unable to pet their offensive restarted since the Royal Australian Air Force wrested the initiative from them five days ago with a series of lightning blows against ships and aerodromes, are now taking severe punishment over a wide triangle bounded bv Lae, Rabaul, ana Gasmata. With their convoy broken up in the Huon Gulf, and the Lae and Salamaua aerodromes blasted out. the main offensive is directed against Rabaul. now Japan’s most vital intermediate base on Ihe 1300-mile supply line from Truk (in the Caroline Islands) to T.ae, which is now stretched almost to breaking point. The threat how to the Japanese is of Ihe commote severance of this line, alone which comes all their food, munitions, and fuel." RECONSTRUCTION OF DUTCH FLEET PURCHASE OF NEW VESSELS (8.0. W.) RUGBY. March 15. Queen Wilhehnina disclosed in a broadcast address that the first steps for the reconstruction of the Dutch Fleet have begun. The battle would continue from more distant bases though some of the Dutch warships were still in action in waiters around the Netherlands East Indies. The fact that some thousands of men of the Dutch Navy had escaped from the Netherlands East Indies had made it possible to make an immediate s ‘ ar f in the work of the reconstruction ot the navy by the purchase of new Vessels. ' , . “Thus we shall continue to fight shoulder to shoulder with our Allies, straining all our resources.” concluded Queen V’ilhelmina. EASTERN SUPPLY COUNCIL ißeceived March 10, 7 p.m.) NEW DELHI. March 15. Sir‘Bertram Stevens. Australian repi'cseniative on the Eastern Group SupnlV Council, who is returning to Australia, said that Japan's rapid southward drive had altered the situation ot the Eastern Group Supply Council. With four of the countries represented on the council under enemy occupation the council had been halved. Communications were most difficult and the threat against Australia and India expanded the internal needs of both, thus reducing the surplus available to the group as a whole. He added that Australia would do her utmost to fulfil her obligations but was hardly able to shoulder her responsibilities for external supplies on the former scale.