Japanese Suffer Shattering Loss In Wewak Raid

Northern Advocate, 30 September 1943, Page 3

Japanese Suffer Shattering Loss In Wewak Raid

SYDNEY, This Day

The Japanese suffered shattering losses at Wewak, on the north coast of Newe Guinea, on Monday when 200 Allied bombers made a surprise attack on a convoy in the harbour and strong forces of grounded aircraft.

The raiders inflicted these losses on the enemy: Three tankers left ablaze and sinking, four merchant ships sunk or destroyed, 29 barges and luggers sunk or severely damaged. 50 grounded aircraft destroyed, eight fighters shot down and three more probably destroyed. “The enemy’s efforts to re-establish his operational air bases in northeast New Guinea, appear to have been again successfully countered.’ says today’s communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters. "Oui heavy and medium bombers in force, with strong fighter escort, executed a surprise attack on the enemy’s Wewak, Boram, Dagua and But aerodromes, and on shipping in the harbour. Caught On Ground Attack bombers, coming in at minimum altitude, caught the bulk of the enemy air force on the ground. Some 50 parked aircraft were destroyed and fires were started in fuel and supply dumps. Destruction was widespread “In the harbour a newly-arrived convoy was struck in a mast-high attack which left three tankers on fire and sinking and four merchant vessels ranging up to 5000 tons sunk or destroyed. In addition, 29 barges and luggers were sunk or severely damaged. The enemy intercepted weakly with 20 fighters, eight of which were shot down and three more probably destroyed. The rest fled. Intense anti-aircraft fire shot down three of our bombers and damaged others. One of our fighter patrols on the previous day reports having shotdown six enemy fighters and probably destroyed a seventh.” Concentration Discovered Early The planes shot down on Sunday were part of a force of 15 to 20 Japanese fighters which apparently tried lo intercept our reconnaissance aircraft, says an Australian war correspondent in New Guinea. It was the early discovery of an enemy concentration of planes and shipping that enabled an Allied blow to be launched before they could be put into use against us. The attack started with waves of Liberators which demoralised the enemy with accurate high-level bombing. Fires were already raging when Mitchell mediumbombers came in to follow up the advantage of surprise and chaos on the ground. Then almost every minute, fresh waves of bombers swept down on Wewak itself and on Boram, Dagua and But airfields, blowing grounded aircraft to bits and leaving the area a mass of smoking and twisted ruins.

Not a Ship Escaped Meanwhile, other waves of Mitchells turned on shipping in the harbour. Apparently not a ship escaped our searing attack. After unloading their bombs, Mitchells fired 160,000 rounds of ammunition to rake everything that was left afloat. Pilots said the whole harbour appeared to be ablaze or under a suffocating pall of oil fumes and smoke. A Japanese barge at a staging point at Hansa Bay, between Wewak and Madang, was attacked from low-level by Allied fighters. Barges in the bay and motor traffic on the Nubia Road were effectively strafed. Beaufighters, in a sweep over New Britain, destroyed two enemy coastal vessels. In the Solomons, Admiral Halsey’s bombers, with fighter cover, attacked gun positions on Kolombangara Island, scoring many direct hits and starting fires. Fighter patrols over Vella Lavella Island successfully intercepted and dispersed 18 Japanese dive-bombers escorted by 20 fighters. One enemy fighter was shot down without loss. Light attacks were made on Allied positions on the island. Australian Mainland Attack

The Japanese air force made the heaviest raid on the Australian mainland for some weeks on Monday when 25 planes bombed and strafed Drysdale Mission on the ’nest northern tip of West Australia. General MacArthur’s communique reports only minor damage and casualties. Apart from Darwin which has been raided G 1 times since Japan entered the war, the enemy this year has attacked three Australian coastal centres—Exmouth Gulf, Broome and Onslow. There was no damage or casualties in any of the threecentres. Japanese Suffer Heavily The Japanese have suffered heavy casualties in sharp fighting in the region ef the Bumi River, south of their base at Finschhafen, New Guinea. Australian losses are light. Our forward elements have advanced to Llebbe Creek, west of Finschhafen township. These developments are reported in today’s cofmunique from General MacArthur. The Japanese are outnumbered and outgunned and the fall of the base is inevitable, writes an Australian war correspondent. Haste is being subordinated to a policy of tightly pegging the costs of the campaign. Our forces are steadily crowding on the enemy defence line. The close dispositions have greatly limited Allied air support for the ground forces. It is more likely that the enemy’s defences will crumble suddenly than that the campaign will develop into a slow, methodical whittling down of Japanese strength. Japanese aircraft on Monday made sporadic raids on Allied beach positions and an aerodrome in the Finschhafen area, but inflicted only light casualties and caused no material damage.