BOMBING OF BASES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24759, 6 December 1943, Page 4

BOMBING OF BASES

SMASHING ATTACKS MADE NEW BRITAIN POSITION (Eecd. 8.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, Dec. 6 The triangle of Japanese bases on the western coast of New Britain has been heavily pounded by General MacArthur's aircraft. To-day's communique reports a smashing attack on Cape Gloucester, where escorted medium and heavy bombers dropped 179 tons of explosives on a supply dump and gun positions. This is one of the heaviest bomb loads ever delivered on a single target in the South-west Pacific area. , "The target was thoroughly covered and heavy damage was inflicted,'' says the communique. "The whole area was covered with a blanket of smoke and fire." Combined with this attack have neen other raids on Borgen Bay and Gasmata, which are the main Japanese bases iu western New Britain. Mitchell bombers escorted by Lightnings dropped 63 tons of explosives on Borgen Bay, which is an important barge staging point, while Boston attack planes fired thousands of rounds of ammunition into enemy-occupied villages near the bay. Royal Australian Air Force Beauforts made two night attacks on dump areas at Gasmata, causing fires and explosions. Cape Gloucester and Gasmata have been regularly attacked by our aircraft for many weeks past, but recent raids have been the heaviest yet made on these targets. In the Bismarck Sea. just north cf New Britain, reconnaissance planes have attacked an 8000-ton Japanese cargo ship and a patrol vessel and sunk five barges. In the Northern Solomons incessant attacks by Admiral Halsey's planes have now kept the Japanese aerodromes on Bougainville out of action for 40 days. At Emoress Augusta Bay, the American beachhead on the island, ground activity has been limited to patrolling. CALCUTTA RAIDED CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE (Reed. 1.50 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 5 Japanese aircraft raided the Calcutta area, says an Indian communique. Bombs caused casualties and damage. CHANGE TO OFFENCE AUSTRALIA'S WAR EFFORT CANBERRA, Dec. 4 Australia's war effort is now entering a new phase—the defensive stage has passed and the initiative has been gained from the enemy, said the Prime .Minister, Mr. J. Curtin, who announced that he had just completed an important conference with General MacArthur. commander in the South-west Pacific. Mr. Curtin added that General MacArthur expressed full agreement with the principles laid down by the Government for the passage of the Australian nation from defence to offence, with diversions and regrouping involving endless adjustments over the entire national economy. The Prime Minister said ho had expressed gratitude to General MacArthur for his brilliant leadership and assured him that Australia's war effort, however readjusted, would he the maximum of which Australia was capable. The Cairo Conference declaration, said Mr. Curtin. told the Australian people clearly that there was no short cut to victorv in the Pacific. BRITISH FOR PACIFIC MUCH PREPARATION NEEDED MELBOURNE, Dec. 4 visited all the fighting areas in New Guinea and the Solomons, tho British military mission, led by Major-General J. S. Lethbridge, is now compiling a full report for submission to the British authorities. General LeMibridge emphasised that the mission was not; concerned with .strategy or intelligence, but was "harned with looking into questions relating to organisation, equipment, training and tactics for the British Army when, after the defeat of Germany, it was thrown into the war against Japan. It would be impossible <o take men who had been fighting in luirope or North Africa and send them straight to the jungle. That would ho murder. Much training and much modification of equipment would be needed—all of which would take time. Discussing air operations in the Pacific, General Lethbridge said much modification and reorganisation would also be needed before the R.A.F. could fight in this theatre owing largely to the enormous distances in the Pacific as compared with Europe. 1,000,000 CIRCULATION LONDON, Dec. .1 The Evening News announces an average daily net sale for November of 1.002,436. "This is the first time an evening newspaper has passed the million mark," the paper states, "and therefore it is a landmark in the history of journalism. The sale was achieved in spite of wartime restrictions on the use of paper."