RAIDS ON ISLAND BASES

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23891, 9 March 1943, Page 5

RAIDS ON ISLAND BASES

ALLIED OFFENSIVE CONTINUED ENEMY TROOPS STRAFED IN NEW GUINEA (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 10 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 8. On Sunday General Mac Arthur's bombers kept up their offensive against enemy bases in the arc of islands north of Australia. An 8000-ton enemy cargo vessel, headed east, was bombed with unobserved results in Stephen Strait, between Vulcan Island and the north coast of New Guinea. A spokesman at General Mac Arthur's headquarters said the ship could not possibly have belonged to the Bismarck Sea convoy. Toeal, in the Kei islands, in the Banda Sea, was attacked by a force of Australian-manned Hudsons and Dutch-manned Mitchells. Large fires were started along the waterfront area at this Japanese base,' which has been heavily raided recently. Liberators maintained routine attacks on the Japanese aerodromes at Gasmata and Cape Gloucester, in New Britain, and Salamaua, in 'New Guinea. Havoc attack bombers made 33 strafing passes across the Guadagasal saddle, the gateway to Mubo, which is at present occupied by enemy troops. Recently several "softening" attacks have been made by our air force on targets in this area. The same Havocs swept along the north New Guinea coast, machine-gun-ning loaded enemy supply barges near Mindrudut Island, and raking the airstrip at Dona. Dona is on the coast between Salamaua and Cape Ward Hunt, and Mindrudut Island is' just to the north of it. . For the second time Allied Headquarters reports that Spitfires have been in action. After shooting down six Zeros over Darwin on March 3, they destroyed a light bomber, which was reconnoitring the area on Sunday. The Japanese on Saturday made their heaviest air raid on Goodenough Island, in the d'Entrecasteaux group, since it was occupied some months ago by Australian troops. Nine medium bombers with an escort of 15 fighters attacked the Vivigani area, on the north-east corner of the island. They caused neither damage nor casualties. BISMARCK SEA BATTLE QUALITATIVE AIR SUPERIORITY "CLEAR-CUT CLAIM TO REINFORCEMENTS" (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 8. "Estimated in terms of relative losses the Battle of the Bismarck Sea was less a battle than a massacre," says the "Sydney Morning Herald," reviewing in a leading article the details of the fighting revealed in General Mac Arthur's latest communique. Observers here have been particularly surprised at the number of Japanese fighters, given at 150, providing cover for the convoy. This imposing aerial screen was literally shot to pieces by the Allied aircraft. Of the 102 enemy aeroplanes shot out of action, at least-63 were destroyed for certain. For an air battle of such magnitude the Allied air losses of four aeroplanes are amazingly small. "Qualitatively the air command has passed to the Allies in the southern Pacific," says the "Sydney Morning Herald." "The Japanese have no answer to our massive, hard-hitting, and skil-fully-handled land-based aircraft. Inferiority in this ]y the great new weapon of this warwill doom them to inferiority at sea, as well as wherever our long-range bombers and fighters can reach." The "Sydney Morning Herald"_ emphasises that quantity in aircraft is no less' important than quality, and declares that the southern Pacific will need many more aeroplanes if early and full .advantage is to be taken of the staggering reverse just inflicted on Japan. Contending that the southern Pacific has established a cleaT-cut claim to all the aircraft reinforcements the Allies can possibly spare, the "Sydney Morning. Herald" adds: "Nowhere else has so small an aerial capital yielded so high a dividend, and in no other theatre has the pattern of victory over Japan been so clearly prefigured." "Great Fighting Morale" A General Headquarters spokesman declared that the prime reason for the victory in the Bismarck Sea was the great fighting morale which had been built up in the Allied air forces. Without capacity in execution the most brilliant plan could not hope to succeed. By a coincidence, the two latest Japanese convoys smashed on the way to Lae were both discovered by the same aeroplane crew. Their aircraft, a Liberator, was scouting east of New Britain when it found the later convoy. A further coincidence is that the officers of this crew, when they found the second convoy on March 1, were flying together for the first time since the mission on which they discovered the first convoy, on January 6. The airmen are Lieutenant Walter Higgins, of Texas, Lieutenant Lyle Schoelnaur, of Nebraska, Lieutenant George Selmer, of Indiana, and Lieutenant Robert Pavious, of New York State. "It was sweet revenge to be able to play a big part in this show, because we paid for our previous success by being shot down by Zeros guarding the ships," said Lieutenant Higgins. "We crashlanded and were picked up two days later." The luckiest airman in the southern Pacific is Lieutenant James Dieffenderfer, of West Virginia, a Flying Fortress pilot, who has lost six engines in his last eight missions. During the convoy battle he also had his instrument palnel smashed by bullets from a Zero, and flew 500 miles with his tail elevators torn off. General Mac Arthur has received congratulatory messages from leaders of the United Nations in all parts of the world. Service chiefs who have offered congratulations include General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India; General George Marshall, United States Army Chief-of-Staff; Admiral E. J. King, Commander-in-Chief of the United States Navy; Admiral C W. Nimitz. Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet; and Admiral W. F. Halsey, Naval Commander in the south-west Pacific. j ENEMY LOSSES IN 11 MONTHS 800 AIRCRAFT AND 40 WARSHIPS (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 10.30' p.m.) SYDNEY. March 8. More than 800 Japanese aircraft, 40 warships, and 78 cargo vessels have been definitely destroyed in the south-west Pacific command area since the first issue of daily communiques from General Mac Arthur's headquarters on April 21, 1942. With probably destroyed and damaged machines, the total of Japanese aircraft put out of action in this period is nearly 1000, and 255 ships of all types have been either sunk or damaged. These figures are compiled from the day to day communiques, and do not take into account large numbers of enemy aircraft known to have been destroyed on the ground, nor estimated ship losses in raids, of which it has been impossible to confirm the results.