PACIFIC BOMBINGS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 May 1944, Page 5

PACIFIC BOMBINGS

WAKDE ISLAND SATURATED OTHER' BASES HARD HIT (Spec. Australian Corresp. N.Z.P.A.) SYDNEY, May 13. During the last week General MacArthur’s bombers have pounded the Wakde area of Dutch New Guinea in a series of saturation raids. In three attacks they dropped 780 tons of bombs. The third and heaviest strike was made on Saturday. Smoke from the huge fires rose 6000 feet. Wakde Island, 110 miles west of Hollandia, is the nearest Japanese base to Allied-held territory. The recent smashing Allied air attacks have driven Japanese aircraft off the Wakde Island airstrips back to the bases in Geelvink Bay. Earlier heavy strikes were made on May 7 of 295 tons, and on May 11 of 150 tons. On Saturday Liberators and Mitchells unloaded 200 tons of explosives on the island aerodrome, and a further 134 tons on the Maffin airstrip, situated on the nearby NewGuinea mainland. General MacArthur’s bombers, pursuing the retreating Japanese air strength, also struck at airfields in Geelvink Bay. The main targets for the Liberators in the daylight raids were Namber airfield, in the Schouten Islands, and Moemi airfield, on the New Guinea mainland. Sorido airfield, in the Schouten Islands, was bombed at night. ' Meanwhile the British New Guinea coast between Wewak and Hansa Bay has been bombed by Allied aeroplanes and shelled by naval craft. On Friday and Saturday American destroyers and Australian _ corvettes comprised the naval striking force. Buildings, gun positions, and ammunition dumps were destroyed and many fires started. LAND OPERATIONS

Australian troops driving up the New Guinea coast without opposition are now within 70 air miles of the Hansa Bay-Wewak area to which the Japanese concentrations are believed to have fled. Although the Australians have made no contact with the enemy, the Americans on the HollandiaAitape front, 260 miles to the northwest, continue to meet and wipe out Japanese pockets of resistance. Armed with automatic weapons, some of the Japanese have resisted desperately, but a high proportion of prisoners continue to be taken. To-days communique reports that an additional 78 Japanese have been killed and 33 captured. Enemy troops in the Hollandia area are appearing in guerrilla parties ol 20 to 30 men. At Aitape, 130 miles, down the coast from Hollandia, small parties of hungry enemy soldiers are roaming the country behind our wellprotected Tadji airstrips and in the Torricelli mountains. They do not appear to have attempted to move .south across the mountains or in to the Sepik river valley, where 'towering peaks alternate with muddy swamps of the country and our straddling of the coastaal route seal the fate of the Japanese in the Hansa Bay-Wewak sector. . Reconnaissance reports indicate that in spite of intensified Allied air blow's the Japanese continue to Yamforce their bases in the far west ol Dutch New' Guinea. Airmen who have surveyed the wreckage of Japanese aircraft at Hollandia, in Dutch New' Guinea, say there is evidence of the destruction of considerably more than the 266 aeroplanes originally claimed. Lieutenant Abdul Kakir Shaw', an Indian Army officer rescued from the Japanese at Hollandia, reported having seen 600 aeroplanes on four Hollandia airfields at one time. NORTHERN & CENTRAL AREAS (Recd. 12.15 p.m.) k WASHINGTON, May la. Further bombing of the Kuriles, Carolines, and Marshalls is reported in a Pacific Fleet communique. Navy Venturas bombed Shimushu before dawn on Sunday starting several fires. Mitchells attacked two enemy patrol-boats near Paramushiro. Liberators dropped forty-two tons ol bombs on defence installations al Truk. Two large explosions were observed on Moen Island. Mitchells and Liberators bombed Ponape Island, hitting landing strips and dock areas. Other bombers and fighters attacked enemy-held positions in the Maishalls. JAP. RAID FAILS (Rec 1.40 p.m.) _ SYDNEY, May 16 Nearly a thousand tons of explosives have been dropped by General MacArthur’s bombers on the akae Island area. Four devastating strikes made in the past eight days have caused extensive damage to the anfield and supply installations. In the latest raid, 220 tons of bombs were dropped. ~ ~ In the South-west Pacific, the Allied air activity reported to-day was on a more restricted scale than for some time past. Six Japanese planes made a weak raid against American positions at Hollandia, but * caused little damage.