PHILIPPINES AREA RAIDED

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 255, 25 July 1944, Page 5

PHILIPPINES AREA RAIDED

Bombing Milestone NEW GUINEA LAND LULL BROKEN

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) ’ (Received July 24, 9.30 p.m.)

SYDNEY, July 24. For the first time since the fall of Corregidor was reported on May 6, 1942, the Philippines were mentioned in General MacArthur’s communique today. A South-ivest Pacific Liberator on Saturday morning sank a small Japanese coastal vessel 70 miles south-east of Mindinao. The operation involved a ’round flight of more than 2000 miles. For General MacArthur, the action, though small, was a significant milestone since he has sworn to return to the Philippines. After being ordered to leave the Philippines, he assumed command in the South-west Pacific in March, 1942. Today’s communique also reports that Mitchells were active on Saturday over Halmahera. the main enemy base between General MacArthur’s forward positions and the Philippines. A 1000-ton enemy vessel was sunk. The past week has been bad for Japanese shipping in the coastal waters round Halmahera, Timor and the adjacent islands. During the last 10 days, IS enemy ships have been sunk and eight of them totalled 13,000 tons, the largest being a 3000-ton freightertransport. In addition, five ships totalling 20,000 tons have been. damaged. These successes, which do not include numerous barges sunk or damaged, have been largely the result of the recent Allied acquisition of an airfield which brings enemy routes within range of hard-hitting Mitchells and Beaufighters. Mitchells have also struck a shattering blow at the Vogelkop oilfield, off Sorong, Dutch New Guinea. Derricks and installations were destroyed and heavy casualties inflicted among enemy personnel. South-west Pacific Liberators have continued their neutralizing raids on Ya_p, Palau and Woleai in the Carolines, in support of the American invasion of Guam. • , Japanese Forces Massing.

The Japanese 18th Army on the northern New Guinea coast is apparently still trying to concentrate forces on a large scale east of Aitape. The lull in , the ground fighting was broken late on Friday by unsuccessful enemy probing attacks against the American defences along the Driniumor River. The Japanese on this sector are evidently attempting to conceal their heavy losses by giving their dead mass burials. Since the Papuan campaign, the Japanese practice in New Guinea has been to leave their dead in the jungle. But American troops holding' the west bank of the Driniumor River have seen enemy soldiers dragging their dead from the water. Allied patrols, too. have frequently come on freshly-earthed graves. After one clash in which many Japanese were killed, the Americans found only three corpses which had been left as bait for booby-traps.