NEW GUINEA FRONT

Grey River Argus, 17 May 1943, Page 5

NEW GUINEA FRONT

Oro Bay Raid

16 JAP PLANES SHOT DOWN.

Special) to N.Z. Press Assn.) (Rec. 9.10) SYDNEY, May 16. In another furious air battle over Oro Bay in Northern New Guinea on Friday; sixteen of forty-five Japanese raiders were shot down and six more were probably destroyed. The Japanese were hurled back before they had caused more than slight damage. This latest' performance by Americanmanned fighters ranked with their feat of April 4 in the same area when out of forty-five enemy planes, they accounted for seventeen definitely destroyed and six more probably destroyed. From the latest air combat everyone of our pilots emerged unscathed, while Allied plane losses are reported as “minor.” This New Guinea' success follows close on-the heavy Japanese air defeat in an all-fight combat over the Russell Islands, thirty miles north of Guadalcanal in the Solomons. American fighters there shot down seventeen and probably destroyed two more of a force of twenty-five Zeros. The Americans lost five planes, but two pilots were rescued. General MacArthur’s communique, reporting on the Oro Bay raid says: “Twenty enemy bombers, escorted by twentv-five fighters,. raiding the area were successfull intercepted and driven off by our fighters before causing more than slight damage and casualties. In an air combat we shot down n : ne enemv} Zeros and seven bombers. Another fighter and five bombers were probably destroyed. Our air losses were minor.” Oro Bay is an important Allied base on the north-east coast of Papua just below Buna. Shipping was the probable objective of the raid, which was made by Mitsubishi medium twinengined naval bombers escorted by Zeros. Lockheed Lightnings and Kittyhawk fighters numbering about the same as the Japanese total intercepted the raiders at twenty thousand feet, scoring a smashing victory. The Japanese followed their daylight Oro* Bay assault with an ineffectual night attack by three bombers on the Buna area. To these offensive air activities by the Japanese, Allied bombers have replied with crippling blows against enemy aerodromes used as bases for assaults on our New Guinea positions. GASMATZi AIRFIELD. Gasmata, the Southern New Britain airfield, has been rendered temporarily unserviceable as the result of an attack by Beaulighters, Mitchell medium bombers, and Flying Fortresses. Situated on one of a group of small islands offshore, this aerodrome is used as a halfway house by bombers from Rabaul and Kavieng, bent on raiding our bases in New Guinea. The aerodrome has been bombed and strafed nine times in seven days. It is only about six feet 'above sealevel, and the wet season in this rainfall belt of two hundred inches is just beginning. incessant bombing and strafing will greatly, assist the weather in making it one of the least comfortable of Japan’s South-west Pacific air bases. Enemy aerodromes at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, Wewak and Boram, Northern New Guinea, have also been under attack by Flying Fortresses and Liberators. Fires on Wewak and the nearby Boram aerodromes are believed to have indicated .burning aircraft.

HEAVY ALLIED ATTACK ON RABAUL. Allied bombers made heavy attacks, principally against Rabaul, New Britain, and Nabire, an enemy base on the north coast of Geelvink Bay on the “neck” of Dutch New Guinea. Explosions and fires among dispersal bays and adjacent installations were caused on Vunakanau aerodrome at Rabaul, while large fires were also started at Nabire. One of three intercepting Japanese fighters was shot down. An. Allied heavy bomber* reconnoitring over Willaumez Peninsula at northern New Britain was intercepted by five enemy fighters, destroying two of them, and severely damaging the other three. An enemy reconnaissance plane was shot down over’ Buna, in northern Papua, while our night fighters which were over Port Moresby destroyed one of two enemy Dombers in the raiding area under cover of darkness. Later two more bombers came over, and one of them fell to our anti-aircraft defences. Other targets raided by Allied bombers during the past fort.,

eight hours include enemy aerodromes at Timika (Dutch New Guinea), Koepang, and Dilli (Timor). At Bunabun inland, from Madang, 19U miles down the north New Guinea coast from Wewak, a Liberator bomber bombed a bridge over the Kumul River. The damage to the bridge will interrupt Japanese supplies being transported along the coastal road to their forces fighting around Mubo.