SHATTERING SURPRISE AT WEWAK

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 4, 30 September 1943, Page 5

SHATTERING SURPRISE AT WEWAK

Enemy Convoy Blasted 50 GROUNDED AIRCRAFT DESTROYED (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Received September 29, 1 1 p.m.) SYDNEY, Sept. 29. The Japanese suffered shattering losses at Wewak on the north coast of New Guinea, on Monday when 200 Allied bombers made a surprise attack on a convoy in the harbour and strong forces of grounded aircraft. The raiders inflicted these losses on the enemy:— Three tankers left ablaze and sinking; Four merchant ships sunk or destroyed; Twenty-nine barges and luggers sunk or severely damaged; Fifty grounded aircraft destroyed; , Eight fighters shot down and three more probably destroyed. "The enemy’s efforts to re-establish his operational air bases in north-east New Guinea appear to have been successfully countered " says today’s communique from General MacArthur s head-

quarters.

“Our heavy and medium bombers in force, with a strong lighter escort, executed a surprise attack on the enemy's Wewak, Boram, Dagua and But aerodromes and on shipping in the harbour. Attack bombers .coming in ata minimum altitude caught the bulk of the enemy air force on the ground. Some 50 parked aircraft were destroyed and fires started in fuel and supply dumps. Destruction was widespread. ■ “In the harbour a newly arrived convoy was struck in a mast-high attack which left three tankers on fire and sinking and four merchant vessels ranging up to 5000 tons sunk or destroyed. In - addition, 29 barges and luggers were sunk or severely damaged. “The enemy weakly intercepted with 20 fighters, eight of which were shot down and three more probably destroyed. The rest fled. Intense antiaircraft fire shot down three of our bombers and 'damaged others. “One of our fighter patrols the previous day reports having shot down six enemy fighters and probably destroyed a seventh.’’ Enemy Demoralized. The planes shot down on Sunday were part of a force of 15 to 20 Japanese fighters which apparently tried to intercept our reconnaissance aircraft, says an Australian war correspondent in New Guinea. “It was the early discovery of the enemy concentration of planes and shipping that enabled the Allied blow to he launched before they could be put into use against us,” he said. “The attack Started with waves of Liberators which demoralized the enemy xyith accurate high-level bombing. Fires 'were already raging when Mitchell medium bombers came in to follow up the advantage of surprise and there was chaos on the. ground. Then almost every minute fresh .waves of bombers swept down on Wewak itself and on the Boram, Dagua and But airfields, blowing grounded aircraft to bits and leaving the area a mass of smoking. twisted ruins. “Meanwhile, other waves of Mitchells turned on shipping in the harbour. Apparently not a ship escaped our scaring attack. After unloading their bombs, the Mitchells fired 160,000 rounds of ammunition, raking everything that was left afloat.-

Pilots said tlie whole harbour appeared to be ablaze or under a suffocating pall of oil fumes and smoke.

The Japanese barge staging point at Hansa Bay, between Wewak and Madang, was attacked from a low level by Allied fighters. Barges in the bay and motor traffic on the Nubia road were effectively strafed. ' xt t> • Beaufightero in a sweep over New Britain, destroyed two enemy coastal vesIn the Solomons, Admiral Halsey’s bombers, with a fighter cover, attacked gun positions on Kolombangara Island, scoring many direct bite and starting fires. Fighter patrols over vella Levella Island successfully intercepted and dispersed 18 Japanese dive-bombers escorted by 20 fighters. One enemy fighter was shot down without loss. Light attacks were made on Allied positions on the island.