AIR ACTIVITY GROWS

Grey River Argus, 18 May 1943, Page 5

AIR ACTIVITY GROWS

Heavy Raid on Lae

other jap bases attacked

(Special to N.Z. Press Assn.) (Rec. 9.50) SYDNEY, May- 17

The air war is again mounting in New Guinea, with the return of Japanese activity over almost all parts of the north-eastern sector of General MacArthur’s Command. During the past three days our aircraft encountered Japanese planes on patrolling. reconnaissance, and bombing missions over many areas. At least twenty-four enemy planes have been destroyed in combat. Eleven others were probably destroyed. In addition many are believed to have been destroyed on the ground. Significantly, Allied bombing attacks during the past few days have been aimed principally at Japanese offensive bases from Kendari, in the Celebes, in the west, and at Kavieng, New Ireland, Rabaul, and New Britain, in the east. Six Japanese bombers and tour fighters were caught on the ground by an Allied attack by Boston bombers and Mitchell medium bombers, which raided Lae aerodrome on Saturday afternoon. The attack is reported in General MacArthur’s communique to-day. Our air crews saw many' fires, indicating extensive damage done in the raid. As well as grounded aircraft, enemy installations were targets for Allied bombs. Three separate sweeps were made by our planes. Liberators made a noon raid on aerodrome dispersal areas at Kavieng, New Ireland, while a night raid was made on Vunakanau aerodrome, at Rabaul, New Britain. Rabaul and Kavieng are the main bases tor enemy bombers raiding Allied positions in' New Guinea. Fortresses on Sunday again bombed and strafed enemy aerodromes at Gasmata, Cape Gloucester (New Britffin). which are intermediate bases for raiding Japanese planes. The bridge over the Kumul River on the enemy’s • New Guinea coastal supply road near Madang was again attacked bv a Liberator unit. Mitchells returning from a' bombing mission on Sunday attacked ten Japanese bombers, escorted by two Zeros off the east coast of Papua, near Cape Ward Hunt, about fifty miles north of Buna. They shot down a Zero and damaged one bomber. Explosions and large fires, visible for fifty, miles, were caused when our heavy bombers attacked the aerodrome at Kendari in the Celebes. Kendari is an imnortant Japanese aircraft assembly point.

U.S. UNIT’S RECORD. (Rec. 9.50) SYDNEY, May 17. The American fighter unit which destroyed ten enemy aircraft during the Japanese raid on Oro Bay on Friday has shot down 225 Japanese planes in its fourteen months in the South-west Pacific area. The unit was the first stationed in the Darwin area. A young first lieutenant, John Hardy Griffith, of Chicago who made his first kill, ha'd a busy morning. In shooting down a Zero after a desperate dogfight his own plane was sb badly- damaged that he was forced to make a belly landing. He skidded 150 feet over the ground and walked away unhurt. Sixteen bullet holes were found near the cockpit of his plane.