CONTROL OF ENEMY WATERS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 65, 11 December 1943, Page 7

CONTROL OF ENEMY WATERS

Navy’s Bold Tactics (Received December 10. 11.10 p.m.) PEARL HARBOUR, December 10. Further raids on the Marshalls by American bombers are reported in the Navy Department communique. A navy Liberator ou reconnaissance yesterday" bombed and strafed base facilities at Jnluit. sinking a patrol boat and probably sinking a medium freighter with two small vessels. A Ventura bomber strafed installations at Milie in the face of heavy automatic weapon fire. . Developing its powerful central 1 aeific offensiv’. tlft navy for the second time in four days has boldly entered heavily-defended enemy waters seeking battle, says the United Press correspondent. The bombardment of Nauru by naval guns meant that American ships approached within a few miles of powerful enemy air bases. It is evident that the Pacific fleet now dominates the waters of the Gilbert and Marshall groups, westward to Nauru, on the way to Truk and Rabaul. A naval spokesman disclosed that the American losses in Saturday’s raid on the Marshalls consisted of four Hellcat fighters and one Dauntless dive-bomber. The latter’s pilot was saved. He added that the Marshalls will,be a tough nut to crack whenever invasion is attempted. Our objective in attacking the Marshalls was to destroy aircraft and shipping which had moved in as a result ot the capture of the Gilberts.