HARMLESS RAID

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 99, 26 March 1942, Page 5

HARMLESS RAID

PORT MORESBY AGAIN ENEMY CLAIM DENIED. (United Press Association —Copyright.) CANBERRA, March 2t>. Continuing their offensive against Port Moresby, three Japanese bombers escorted by four fighters appeared over the town this morning flying at a great height. The planes hid in the clouds for the greater period ot the attack and all oucir bombs fell wide of their mark. During Monday and yesterday at least 4b' Japanese planes were over Port Moresby and although 300 bombs were dropped tliere were, as already reported, no casualties and surprisingly little damage. The accurate shooting of the Australian anti-air-craft batteries has prevented the town troin receiving a real drubbing. The Japanese radio claim to have captured Port Moresby was denied today by the Premier (Mr Curtin), who described it as a choice example of wishful thinking. He added that so far from having fallen to the Japanese Port Moresby was still very much Australian and to date has given tho Japanese more than it has received. Australian airmen who with some civilians have returned to Australia tell vivid stories of how Australian airmen are holding out in Port Moresby. "They have their chins well up," siaid one on his arrival. "They know they have a tough time ahead but they are not worrying," He added that the Japanese pilots were not supermen but must be treated with respect. Their anti-aircnaft defences at Rabaul, however, were very solid. Whether the pilot of a Japanese plane shot down near Darwin on Sunday is still at large is a mystery which the military authorities arc investigating. Tho pilot was seen parachuting from his plane, which was found crashed in a swamp, since when nothing has been known of its occupant or occupants. A search is being carried out by a land force. GREAT DAMAGE AT LAE.

A Washington communique says that additional details of the previously reported raids by Australian and American Army planes on Lae on March T> have been received by the American War Department. The raid was conducted by a composite force consisting of four Flying Fortresses, nine P4O fighters of tho American Army, and two Hudson bombers of the Australian Air Force. This raid included three heavy bombers, 10 Zero fighters, and two unidentified aircraft, and in addition four Zero fighters and two bombers were damaged. A direct hit vya.s scored on an ammunition dump. Two American P4O planes were lost. A Sydney message says the problem of American soldiers wanting to marry Australian girls is engaging the attention of the authorities, who are doing their best to discourage such unions on tho ground that the girls would lose their Australian nationality or domicile. In addition, they would have trouble in gaining American citizenship after the war. A spokesman for the American soldiers, alluding to the difficulties, said his men were warned not to marry while abroad, as when the war was over all Americans would be repatriated and those - that married would not be allowed to take their wives, but would have to provide a separate method of travel to the United States. The wives would also have difficulty in qualifying for domicile in America. There have already been a number of such marriages since the arrival of the Americans in Australia.