MacArthur’s Air Fleet Continues Deadly Work

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 57, 9 March 1943, Page 4

MacArthur’s Air Fleet Continues Deadly Work

(By Telegraph— Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) Received Tuesday, 9.35 p.m. SYDNEY, Mar. 8. More than 800 Japanese aircraft, 40 warships and 78 cargo vessels have been definitely destroyed in the Southwest Pacific Command area since the first issue of daily communiques from General MacArthur’s Headquarters on April 21st, 1942. With probably destroyed and damaged machines, the total of Japanese aircraft put out of action in this period is close on a thousand, while 255 ships of all types have been either sunk or damaged. These figures are compiled from the day-to-day communiques and do not take into account the large numbers of enemy aircraft known to have been destroyed on the ground nor the estimated ship losses iu raids of which it has been impossible to confirm tho results. On Sunday, General MacArthur’s bombers kept up their offensive against enemy bases in the arc of islands to Australia’s north. An 8000-ton enemy cargo vessel, headed east, was bombed with unobserved results in Stephen Strait between V'ulcan Island aud the north coast of New Guinea. The spokesman at MacArthur’s Headquarters said the ship could not possibly have belonged to the Bismarck Sea convoy. Toeal, iu the Kei Islands, iu the Banda Sea, was attacked by a force ot Australian-manned Hudsons and Dutchmanned Mitchells. Large fires were started aloug the waterfront area at this Japanese base which has been heavily raided recently. Liberators maintained routiue attacks on Japanese aerodromes in Miasmata and Cape Gloucester (New Britain) and Salamaua (New Guinea). Havoc attack bombers made 33 strafing passes across the Guadagasal Saddle, the gateway to Mubo at present occcupied by enemy troops. Recently several “softening” attacks have been made by our air force on targets in this area. The same Hovocs swept along the North New Guinea Coast machine-gun-ning loaded enemy supply barges near Mindrudut Island and raking the airstrip at Dona. Dona is on the coast between Salamaua and Cape Wardhunt and Mindrudut Island just to the north of it. For the second time, Allied Headquarters reports that Spitfires have been in action. After shooting down sis Zeros over Darwin on March 3rd, they destroyed a light bomber which was reconnoitring the area on Sunday. The Japanese on Saturday made their heaviest air raid on Goodenough Island in the Dentrecasteaux group since it was occupied some months ago by Australian troops. Nine medium bombers with au escort of fifteen fighters, attacked the Vivigani area on the northeast corner of the island. They caused neither damage or casualties.