Another Heavy Air Raid on Darwin

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 160, 8 July 1943, Page 5

Another Heavy Air Raid on Darwin

Only Slight Damage t§ Installations Received Wednesday, 11.30 p.m. SYDNEY, July 7. Forty-eight Japanese planes, 27 ox their bombers escorted by 21 Zero fighters, attempted to strike a heavy blow at Darwin at midday on Tuesday, but were driven off by tbe defending Spitfires after severe fighting. Slight damage was caused to ground installations. Reporting the raid General MacArthur’s communique to-day says: “Our intercepting fighters destroyed live bombers and two fignters and probably destroyed two bombers and damaged two others. We lost seven planes but three of the pilots were saved and three others were seen to bale out.”

The Darwin raid was among several enemy attacks reported in the latest communique from tne southwest Pacific Headquarters. At Nassau Bay in Northern New Guinea soon after mid day on Tuesday eight medium bombers and seven divebombers attacked the Allied positions but caused no damage* or casualties. Nine enemy bombers and four fighters made their sixth raid on Menabena in the Bismarck Range country inland from Madang. In the Arafura Sea north of Aus tralia three enemy floatplanes and four medium bombers attempting to attack a small Allied convoy were driven oft uy escorting Beaufighters. Our Hudsons raided Koepang in Timor, bombing Penfosi aerodrome, while Liberators flying through heavy weather to reach their objective attacked the airfield at Abao in Dutch New Guinea.

The communique also reports patrol activity in the Bobdubi ridge area near Salamaua where the Australians are maintaining pressure on the village. In the five raids on Darwin since June 20 the Japanese employed a total of 162 aircraft. Of these 30 have been destroyed, seven probably destroyed and 20 damaged. Sixteen Spitfires Have been lost, but many of the pilots were saved. The previous raid was on June 30 when Spitfires shot down eight enemy planes and damaged eight.