ALLIED PRESSURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24542, 26 March 1943, Page 3

ALLIED PRESSURE

POUNDING OF MUBO PATROLS IN OPPOSITION ENEMY SUPPLY PROBLEMS (Special Australian Correspondent) (Rccd. 8 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 25 Allied pressure is increasing against Mubo, the advanced base for the Japanese forces in the Salamaua - Lae sector of New Guinea. On Wednesday, for the second successive day, low-dying Beau fighters and Boston bombers subjected the area to a terrific pounding. Attack planes and long-range fighters in succession swept over hostile positions, bombing from a low altitude and thoroughly strafing the Mubo area, tiring 30,000 rounds of cannon and machine-gun fire in 44 passes. Machinegun positions were silenced and tents and buildings damaged or destroyed. The area was enveloped in smoke following this attack. Anti-aircraft fire was encountered, but there was no interception. All our planes returned. Mubo is the jungle base from which the Japanese started out late in -January to attack Wan aerodrome. Their thrust was made by a force estimated at 3000, which was checked and then beaten back by Australian troops, who inflicted heavy losses. Although no official reference has been made to recent land fighting around Mubo. if is believed that patrol clashes have been continually occurring since tin- major battle at Wan, with our forces always holding the initiative. Planes raiding the Mubo-.Salamaua-.Lac area have met with no enemy air interference in the past few weeks and the Japanese supply organisation is believed to have been considerably embarrassed by our attacks. Willi cargo-carrying submarines supplying their main Northern New Guinea bases, the Japanese have distributed their stores by the use of a coastal barge transport system, centred in a labyrinth of mangrove-covered lagoons at J /aim. Their steel barges are usually about 30 feet long and are capable of carrying at least 30 troops. Our continued hammering of their supply lines is having a serious cumulative effect on enemy garrisons in this area. BOMBING ACTIVITY SUCCESSION OF ATTACKS HITS ON MERCHANT VESSELS (Special Australian Correspondent) (Weed. <;.15 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 25 The communique issued to-day by General Mac Arthur's Headquarters states that medium bombers attacked enemy shipping at Kaimana, Dutch New Guinea, scoring a hit on a 5000ton merchant vessel and a near miss on a smaller ship. Three enemy aircraft attempted interception, but were driven off, one being damaged. In successive attacks on Kaii Islands, two formations of medium bombers swept through the island group, causing heavy damage by low-level bombing and, strafing at the enemy-occupied towns of Langgoer and Faan. and machine-gunning Koolfeer and other villages to the south. Two small coastal vessels were also strafed seriously and damaged. At Dobo one of our medium units bombed the town. At Buka, in the northern Solomons, medium bombers executed a two-hour night harassing raid over the area, dropping bombs intermittently on the aerodrome, runway and dispersal bays. During the night one of our medium units bombed and strafed_ the aerodrome at Gasmata, New Britain, and during the day one of our heavy units repeated the attack. One of our heavy reconnaissance units was attacked over the harbour at Wewak, northern New Guinea, by three enemy fighters. Within five minutes it shot the tail off one fighter, which crashed into a mountain, and shot, another out of the combat without sustaining damage. At Finschhafen one of our heavy bombers strafed the aerodrome and town. One of our heavy units bombed the building area at Lae adjacent to the aerodrome. Under cover of darkness a single enemy plane raided the Orobay area, dropping three bombs harmlessly in the bay before it was driven off by our antiaircraft defences. Three enemy bombers made two runs over the Milne Bay area shortly after midnight, causing neither damage nor casualties. PLANES FOR OFFENSIVE CONCENTRATION AT RABAUL (Special Australian Correspondent) (Reed. 8 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 25 "The liveliness of the air war on the South-West Pacific front continues to supply the best evidence for the case for Allied aerial reinforcements in this region." says the Sydney Morning Herald to-day in an editorial review of recent air activities, with particular reference to the record concentration of Japanese combat aircraft attacked at Babaul on Tuesday morning. "The air strength required for success m our 'holding war' cannot possibly be arbitrarily fixed by staff calculations at some time past, but must obviously depend upon the force the enemy brings into this theatre. Here would seem the obvious basis for representations now being made in Washington by Lieutenant-General G. C. Kenney, Allied Air Commander in the Soutii-West Pacific, and MajorGeiieral R. Sutherland, Chief-of-Staff to General Mac Arthur." A message from Frank Tremaine, the American United Press correspondent at' Pearl Harbour, says there arc indications that a new phase of the Pacific struggle may open shortly. He suggests that ihe Japanese air concentration af Kabaul was offensively designed HEALTH OF THE POPE (Weed. (>..15 p.m.) LONDON, March 21 The Pope is suffering from bronchial influenza, but according to Vatican officials his condition is greatly improved, his temperature being almost normal.