PACIFIC AIR CONFLICTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 January 1944, Page 5

PACIFIC AIR CONFLICTS

JAP. LOSSES HEAVY

RABAUL AND WEWAK

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

.SYDNEY, January 21. The Japanese are suffering mounting losses of aeroplanes and shipping as the Allied air forces maintain their onslaught against the enemy in the Pacific. In air battles on Wednesday 21 enemy aeroplanes were shot down over Rabaul and 12 over Wewak. Many grounded enemy aeroplanes were destroyed when Liberators heavily attacked the Boram aerodrome’ in the Wewak area. Allied bombers sank three Japanese freighters including one laden with explosives. These latest Allied successes are reported in General MacArthur’s communique to-day. Without air opposition, Liberators dropped 133 tons of bombs on the Boram aerodrome and dispersal areas. The whole area was covered and direct hits on supply dumps -started huge fires. At the first attack antiaircraft fire was intense, but it practically ceased after the bombers had scored many hits on gun. emplacements. While the attack was being made approximately 100 Lightning, Thunderbolt, and Kittyhawk fighters, acting as escort to the bombers, were engaged over Wewak by 50 enemy interceptors and a battle raged for an hour. Twelve of the enemy were shot down and two probably destroyed for the loss of three Allied aeroplanes* . Large formations of Allied and enemy fighters were again opposed over Rabaul while Mitchell medium bombers were sweeping over the Tobera aerodrome almost at ground level. In fierce dogfights the Japanese lost 21 fighters and another was probably destroyed. Two Allied aeroplanes were lost. Mitchells destroyed one grounded aircraft and damaged 12 others. According to figures given in communiques, the Japanese have now lost 196 aircraft at Rabaul in the last three weeks. In addition 64 aeroplanes have probably been lost and 12 have been damaged. Allied losses were 35 aircraft. American Catalina bombers sank two enemy ships near the Admiralty Islands in night attacks on Tuesday. A 200-ton cargo vessel received a direct hit and sank in 10 minutes. Later a 5000-ton ship with destroyer escort was attacked 33 miles east of Lorengau. Evidently loaded with ammunition, it blew up from two direct, hits and near misses. A third ship, a 3000-ton freighter, blew apart when hit by a bomb from a Catalina near Hansa Bay. MARSHALL RAIDS (Recd. 10.40 a.m.) WASHINGTON, January 21. Mitchell medium bombers made daylight low altitude raids on Mill atoll in the Marshalls on Tuesday and Wednesday, reports a Pacific Fleet communique. In the first attack, hits were scored on. gun emplacements, buildings, and aerodrome installations. One enemy fighter was damaged on the ground. In the second raid five grounded planes and aerodrome installations were hit. Two bombers were lost.

Army fighters attacked Jaluit atoll on Tuesday damaging two small vessels. .labor Island was attacked on Wednesday by dive-bombers, which started fires in fuel storage area. Two American planes were shot down.

JAP. CRUISER SUNK

BRITISH SUBMARINE’S EXPLOIT

RUGBY, January 21

A Japanese cruiser of the Kuma class was torpedoed and sunk off the Straits of Malacca by a British submarine. The Admiralty announced that one of His Majesty’s submarines, operating under the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet, reported the destruction of the cruiser in the northern approaches to the Malacca Strait.

The enemy cruiser was seen in company with a destroyer and the course was altered to intercept. Proceeding at maximum speed, the submarine closed within a mile of the enemy, when a salvo of torpedoes was fired. Two hits were observed on the cruiser which sank. An ineffective counter-attack by the escorting Japanese destroyer then developed. Three large Japanese supply ships were also sunk by the same submarine, which is commanded by Lieutenant-Com-mander L. W. A. Bennington. The Kuma class are about twentytwo years old, about 5,1000 tons, with a complement of 439 men, seven 5.5 inch guns, two three-inch guns, eight torpedo tubes, speed about thirtythree knots, and in 1927 they were fitted to carry one aircraft. Commander Bennington. whose submarine sank a Japanese cruiser in the Straits of Malacca, was previously commander of the famous 1800-ton submarine mine-layer, Porpoise, which macle naval history in carrying supplies to Malta. The Porpoise survived, without a single casualty, one of the heaviest depth charge attacks ever made on a British submarine. No fewer than 100 depth charges were dropped. Bennington, who rose from the lower deck, was awarded the D.S.C. for successful patrol work in the submarine Tigris. U.S.A. SUBMARINES' TOLL (Recd. .11.20 a.m.) WASHINGTON, January 21. Twelve enemy vessels were sunk by United States submarines in operations against the enemy in the Pacific and Far East, says ' a Navy communique. One large tanker, one medium cargo transport, one small transport, seven medium freighters, and two small freighters were all sunk. These actions were not previously reported.