JAP. SHIPS BOWED

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 April 1943, Page 5

JAP. SHIPS BOWED

HEAVY LOSSES INFLICTED

TRIUMPH BY SMALL FORCE

WELL-PLANNED SURPRISE ATTACK

(N.Z.P.A. Special Australian Correspondent)

SYDNEY, April 5.

The Japanese naval and merchant shipping concentration at Kawieng, in New Ireland, has been either destroyed or dispersed. General MacArthur’s latest communique tells the story of the three-day attack in which seven enemy warships and live merchantmen were sunk or heavily damaged. Specially selected Fortress crews used the new secret battle technique against the enemy ships gathered at the northern end of Now Ireland. This victory by strictly limited Fortress fleets (a grand total of only 26 aeropllanes being employed) ranks with the Bismarck Sea battle as one of the greatest air feats of the war. Only to-day did General MacArthur’s spokesman reveal that the three-day action was a carefully planned battle, and not merely a succession of follow-up blows on a chance target. Every pilot was a vet,eran specially chosen for the job. No more striking indication of the success obtained could be given than by the official “box score” which was released to-day. This analysis of the battle reads: Warships: Saturday—A . heavy cruiser, four direct hits, sinking; a ; light cruiser, four direct hits, sunk; a 'destroyer, two direct hits, sinking;two destroyers, direct hits, both dam- | aged; two warships bombed with unobserved results. Sunday.—A light cruiser or heavy destroyer, one direct hit, damaged; a destroyer, direct hit, damaged; a destroyer bombed with unobserved results. Cargo ships:—Friday—A 10,000-ton ship, two hits, damaged; a 6000-ton ship, straddled, sinking. Saturday—A 6000-ton ship, direct hits, damaged. Sunday—A 7000 to 8000-ton ship, bombed with unobserved results; a 6000 to 8000-ton ship, hit and damaged; a 5000 to 6000-ton ship, direct hits, damaged. Over the three days, 10 warships and six merchantmen were sunk, damaged, or bombed with unobserved results. > The official story of the attacks indicated that the Japanese “scarcely knew what hit them.” For three days the Allied pilots contrived to continue the element of surprise, and on the first day they caught the dispersed enemy ships absolutely off their guard. Not a bomb was wasted. Several of the 26 bombers employed were engaged, not against enemy shipping, but in neutralising the Kawieng aerodrome. Nevertheless, on the second day of the battle, a total force of fewer than 12 aeroplanes pul up the amazing performance of scoring 11 direct hits with 5001 b. bombs in addition to two damaging near misses and two “straddlers.”

COMPLETED TASK

The portion of to-day’s communique from General MacArthur’s Headquarters dealing with the battle is:— , ■ New Ireland.—At Kawieng, striking again before dawn, our heavy units executed co-ordinated low-level (bombing attacks on enemy shipping, scoring direct hits with heavy bombs on three, possibly four, vessels. A light cruiser or destroyer was hit with a 5001 b. bomb on the foredeck, resulting in an explosion followed by cloud of black smoke. A direct hit from mast height exploded on the bow of a destroyer, while a bomb which overshot, possibly hit an 8000ton cargo vessel anchored close by. A 6000-ton merchant ship received a direct hit amidships, followed by a large explosion. Bombs were dropped on another destroyer and on what was probably a submarine tender, but darkness and searchlight glare prevented observation of the results. Simultaneously, the aerodrome was effectively bombed and neutralised. There was no attempt at interception and all our aircraft returned. The enemy’s naval concentration at Kawieng has now been completely destroyed or dispersed, and the Kawieiw battle, which commenced on Friday and extended through Saturday and Sunday, can be regarded as completed. In the engagement seven enemy warships of cruiser or destroyer type, and five merchant vessels aggregating 36,000 tons, were either sunk or heavily damaged. Three additional enemy destroyers and one 8000ton merchant ship were attacked and possibly damaged, but accurate observation of results was not obtained. Our own losses were limited entirely to damage to aeroplanes, all'of which returned to their base. Our force consisted of 10 heavy bombers in the first attack, and eight in the succeeding two. Bach strike involved a flight of 1100 miles. , . , . . Factors contributing to this decisive victory were the special battle technique developed for this attack, the neutralisation of enemy airfields, the utilisation of darkness as a screen, and the accomplishment of the initial surprise effect obtained by the extraordinary extension of our bomber (range of attack.

IN NEW GUINEA SYDNEY, April 5. To-day's communique from General MacArthur’s Headquarters says: New Guinea: Our medium and attack bombers, accompanied by longrange fighters, executed a co-ordinat-ed early morning attack on the enemy defence perimeter covering Lae, in the Markham Valley. Nearly 20 tons of bombs were dropped in the supply dump and building area, causing numerous fires, accompanied by large explosions. Twenty-three thousand rounds of ammunition were expended in more than 40 strafing passes over the area. The resultant damage was heavy. There was no interception and all our aeroplanes returned. At Salamaua one of our heavy units bombed the town area. At Mubo our attack aeroplanes, continuing their offensive in low-level sweeps, _ bombed and strafed an enemy position in Kitchen Creek.

“BISMARCK” SURVIVORS

SYDNEY, April 5. Survivors from the Bismarck Sea battle are still making belated arrivals on the New Guinea coast. The latest group to be discovered was ,the subject of a laconic message sent for the information of headquarters by an Australian patrol of three soldiers. Their dispatch read: “Eight Japanese landed at a village in our area. They were given ample opportunity to surrender, but attempted to escape, and it became necessary to liquidate them, them. All our forces returned safely from this operation.”

LOSSES AT GUADALCANAL

LONDON, April 5. A report from Pearl Harbour stated: Land-based U.E. Navy Marine bombers and torpedo-planes, from Guadalcanal Island, sank at least seventeen Japanese ships, including a battleship, and damaged sixty-eight others between August 25, 1942 and February 28, 1943. Rear-seat gunners in the same period shot down eleven Zeros and eleven float-planes. These figures do not include losses inflicted by car-rier-based or Army planes.

MR. NASH’S STATEMENT

SHOCK FOR JAPS.

AUCKLAND, April 5. “Merely to hold what we have in the Pacifis and to wage little more I than a defensive war against Japan j until Germany has been defeated is not part of the strategy of the Unitled Nations,” said Mr. Nash, New I Zealand Minister to the United States, I on his return to the Dominion to-day. He hinted that, unpleasant surprises were in store for the Japanese. He said he had seen for himself many I links in the chain of island bases, and the growing strength of the United Nations facing Japan was clearly not directed at defence alone. “To suggest that this should be just a holding war is wrong, and it is recognised as> being wrong,” continued Mr. Nash. “I am satisfied that the Japanese will get a terrible shock when everything that is being built up is unleashed against them. There is no doubt whatever that such a force lis being built up.” It was a mistake, said Mr. Nash, to imagine that we were putting all our strength into the war in Europe and leaving Japan until that was concluded. At the same time, it would be dangerous so to divide our forces between the European and Pacific fronts as to run the risk of being ineffective in theatres. In striking the proper balI ance particular regard had to be given to our taking a full part with Russia in the struggle against Germany. Even so, there was no justification for believing that we would fight only a holding war against Japan. Referring to the Pacific War Council, on which Mr. Nash represents New Zealand, he said it had done a tremendously worthwhile job. It had been a means of keeping all the nations in the Pacific completely in touch with the situation and of giving them all an opportunity to state their cases very effectively. China had been able to make herself heard, and to suggest that she was short of equipment because her pleas were ignored was unfair to the other countries. The real problem was to get equipment to China, and the Chinese representative with whom he had spoken had recognised the immense difficulties. It had to be done by air, and that involved far more than providing aeroplanes. When reminded of his advocacy of the formation of a supreme war council, Mr. Nash said that the situation had improved to some extent. As far as the co-ordination of the war and peace aims of the United Nations was concerned, there was still much room for closer consultation. M. Molotov’s visit to Washington, Mr. Churchill’s visit to Moscow, and the conference at Casablanca, to which M. Stalin had also been invited, had been steps in the right direction. “There are now mutual understandings and decisions as to where and when we are going to strike,” Mr. Nash added.

SPITFIRE PILOTS

SYDNEY, April 5

Spitfire pilots, fresh from the European battle zone, are being taught new combat tactics before they go into action against the Japanese. This is necessary because there is a marked difference in the performances of the Japanese and the German fighter planes. There are pyschological pecularities of the Japanese fighter pilots which must also be taken into consideration. The instructors are airmen who have made a special study of the Zero and of the Japanese fighter pilots’ technique. They also have had experience against German fighters. While Spitfire planes are superior in speed, fire power and in rate of climb, giving a decided supremacy over the Zero planes, the Japanese fighters still possess the advantage in their manoeuvrability. Thus the Spitfire tactics are aimed at. giving the Zeros little opportunity to exploit their manoeuvrability. “The Japanese pilot is much trickier than the German pilot,” said one instructor. “You can be a huge success against a Focke Wulf or a Messerschmitt and still be dead easy to the tricky little Zero. That is why you must use different tactics against Conspicuous among Australian and English voices at the training centre is a solitary American drawl. Flying Officer John Verby, of Portland, Oregon, joined one of the American Eagle squadrons in England before Japan entered the war. He flew Spitfires in fighter sweeps over France. When America _ entered tne war, he chose to remain with the R.A.F., instead of transferring to the United States Army Air Corps at substantially higher pay. He says: “The R.A.F. was always pretty gooc. to me, so I had to stick to it.”

FRENCH DISSENSIONS

LONDON, April 5. The French National Committee issued a statement that “General Eisenhower has asked General de Gaulle to delay the journey to Norin Africa. General de Gaulle and the National Committee regret this delay. which could not be prolonged without serious disadvantages. General de Gaulle a'nd several members of the National Committee have been ready for some days to leave for Algiers to re-establish the unity of tne Empire, which was necessitated by national interest and demanded by French opinion at home and overseas.” < According to the Fighting French headquarters, General Eisenhower gave military considerations for the request to General de Gaulle to postpone his visit. General Eisenhower said he was unable to turn aside to political considerations, when events in Tunisia were marching towards a climax.