RAID BEFORE DAWN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 28 June 1943, Page 5

RAID BEFORE DAWN

JAP. AERODROME AND DOCK MORE THAN 20 TONS OF BOMBS LAE UNDER HEAVY ARTILLERY Sydney, —une 27. The concentration of Japanese shipping in Rabaul harbour now includes a small converted aircraft carrier. The latest reconnaissance also shows 170 planes on Rabaul airfield network. This figure shows a slight increase on the numbers recently sighted Jt is possible the carrier has been used to ferry aircraft to this key enemy base. The Japanese shipping concentration at Rabaul, including warships, remains substantially unchanged. Aircraft concentrations at Vunakanau aerodrome and Rabaul dock installations were again attacked by General MacArthur’s heavy bombers in a raid before dawn on Saturday. More than 20 tons of high explosives and incendiaries were dropped. Intense anti-air-craft fire was encountered. Two of our bombers are missing. To-day’s communique makes no specific claims of damage inflected. An Australian Beaufort bomber on Friday scored a near miss on one of three 1000-ton Japanese vessels in a convoy between New Britain and the Northern Solomons. A destroyer was escorting the merchantmen which appeared to be heading in the direction of Bougainville. The Beaufort attacked 65 miles south-south-east of Cape St. George in the Rabaul area. Lae, in northern New Guinea, has been under heavy attack by Allied medium bombers, but dense smoke prevented accurate assessment of the damage. Madang and Finshhafen areas were raided in the past 48 hours. Offensive activity by General MacArthur’s bombers in this period has been limited and there are no reports of Japanese air activity. North of Australia enemy aerodromes at Penfoei, Dilli, and Timor have been attacked, and fires started in dispersal area.—P.A. Special Australian Correspondent. U.S. NAVY AIR OPERATIONS London, June 27. The United States Navy Department says: “On 24th June Wildcat fighters strafed Japanese barges south-west of Vangunu Island, New Georgian group, and yesterday four Japanese bombers unsuccessfully attacked a United States light surface unit in the Solomons. Also on 24th June, Liberators, Mitchells and Venturas attacked Japanese installations at Kiska, but due to poor visibility results could not be observed. United States patrols killed 15 more Japanese on Attu,”—P.A.