COULD HAVE HAPPENED

Evening Star, Issue 25565, 18 August 1945, Page 6

COULD HAVE HAPPENED

AIR ATTACK ON NX { JAP. PLANES WERE OVER NORTHERN CITIES LAUNCHED FROM SUBMARINES (P.A.) WELLINGTON. August 18. The revelation that the. Japanese, carried out reconnaissance flights over Wellington and Auckland is now possible. But for the capture-of enemy documents setting out the movements of the submarines concerned, no knowledge might even yet have been available. Some of the submarines used by the enemy carried small seaplanes; others carded midget submarines, of the type .which raided" Sydney Harbour, The first flight over New Zealand was carried out from a submarine fitted to carry a tiny seaplane. She commenced her activities with a reconnaissance of Sydney at dawn on' February 7. 1942. On February 26. Melbourne was observed, and on March 1 Hobart. (Before dawn on March 8 the seaplane was over Wellington. Then it apparently proceeded through Cook Strait and up the east coast to carry out a pre-dawn reconnaissance of Auckland on March 13. The senior officer in command of the five parent submarines from which were launched the midgets which carried out the raid on Sydney Harbour was aboard another submarine which carried out a reconnaissance over Suva, later approaching Auckland and sending its aircraft over the har'bour on May 24. After this exploit it proceeded to Sydney, where a final reconnaissance was carried out at dawn on May 29. Final plans had been made on the night of May 31-June 1. One of the midgets was attached to one of the large submarines involved in carrying

the senior officer (aircraft). A second was an aircraft-carrying boat, and three others carried midgets, which actually launched an attack elsewhere, at the time'the Japanese were preparing to start the Midway operation. Hence' there is no doubt that the _ boat over here in May was endeavouring to collect information on Allied fleet dispositions. The Sydney raid was evidently designed as a diversion, with the.added hope of damaging Allied warships.

These flights effectively shatter the belief held by many people that the Japanese were not interested in New Zealand, and give the lie to the complacent attitude so frequently adopted of " it can't happen here." The submarines used by the Japanese for these operations were of the long-rango cruiser type of boats for fleet operations and patrol, capable of refuelling and supplying shortrange submarines. Certain units carried collapsible float planes in hangars forward of the conning tower, capable of being launched from elevatable bow catapults.