ATTACK ON CONVOY

Evening Star, Issue 24483, 19 April 1943, Page 3

ATTACK ON CONVOY

SEVERAL SHIPS DESTROYED REST FLEE OUT OF BOMBER RANGE (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) ' SYDNEY, April 18. Five ships in the latest Japanese convoy to Wewak have fled to escape' i the incessant Allied air attack, and i when last seen they were steaming I northward beyond the range of our bombers. The" four other merchantmen I which completed the enemy's nine-ship convoy were struck in raids from Wednesday night up' till early on. Friday morning. Three of the ships hit are believed to have been sunk, while the fourth was beached. The vessels hit aggregated 29,000 tons, and were:— An 8,000-ton vessel, definitely sunk. A 5.000-ton vessel, beached. An 8,000-ton vessel, probably sunk. An 8,000-ton vessel, last seen listing and settling. . Allied pilots making reconnaissance flights over Wewak Harbour on Friday morning report that no sign could be seen of the vessel officially announced as beached, and it is ; likely that she also sank. Only five ships fled the harbour, and no trace has been found of the remaining four. In the final raid; made early on Friday morning, two skip-foomlbing hits with lyOOOl'b bombs were scored on an 8,000-ton ship, which was torn by an internal explosion and immediately began, to smoke from stem to stern and to settle in the water. The attacks on the ships by Flying Fortresses were maintained until dawn. The ships w,ere in Wewak Harbour for only a single night, and the longest periods during which they were without attention from our bombers was for three hours. Whether the Japanese were able to carry out unloading operations in such a limited time is not known. Since all the attacks were made under cover of darkness, it is uncertain whether troops as well as supplies were carried. Most observers believe, however, that ihe Japanese garrisoning the north New Guinea coast, for which Wewak' is the main feeder base, are in need of supplies rather than reinforcements. No hits are claimed against a light cruiser, a destroyer, and a small gunboat which escorted the convoy. Combined with the attacks on enemy ships, our aircraft made neutralising raids on the, aerodromes from which* the Japanese might have been able to send up intercepting fighters. These were successfully pinned to the ground. After repeated disaster has convinced the Japanese that convoys cannot reach their advanced bases at Lae and Salamaua, the enemy is now discovering that the more remote passage to Wewak is also a costly one. Although Wewak lies beyond the range of escorting Allied fighters, our air blockade of the northern New Guinea coast appears to have been extended with gratifying success.