JAPANESE BASES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25135, 28 January 1943, Page 5

JAPANESE BASES

THREAT TO AUSTRALIA ALLIED AIR OFFENSIVE (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) (Rec. 1 a.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 27. “ The latest operational reports in the South-west Pacific underline the grave warning given to the nation by the Prime Minister,” declared the war correspondent of the Sydney Sun today. Mr Curtin’s warning was crystallised in this sentence: “As I speak the enemy with all his strength is assailing the outer fringes of the islands adjacent to the Australian mainland. If these go, we may face a struggle on our own soil with the enemy in command of all the sea approaches.” The prevention of the consolidation of the Japanese bases around the 2000milc arc stretching from the Arafura Sea to the Northern Solomons, was again the object of the Allied air attacks in this theatre yesterday. Aerodrome and harbour facilities were the chief targets. Another Raid on Rabaul

Again the Allied Air Force struck its heaviest blow at the Japanese shipping concentration at Rabaul—the eighth attack in 10 days. Formations of Flying Fortresses raided aerodromes as well as shipping. At least one large merchantman was hit and left burning. The Japanese followed the unusual course of sending up intercepting night fighters, but their efforts were ineffectual.

More than 220,000 tons of enemy shipping has been sunk or damaged since tire present series of raids on Rabaul began on December 27. Shipping at Waterfall Bay, the aerodromes at Gasmata and Cape Gloucester, and other New Britain targets were attacked by Liberators. Further east, Catalinas attacked Buka in the first raid on that area by bombers of General MacArthur’s command since November 22. Fires were started among aerodrome supply dumps. Three points on the northern New Guinea coast were attacked—Finschhafen, Lae, and Salamaua. Mitchell medium bombers and Havoc attack planes had Lockheed Lightning fighter protection for the heavy raid on Lae, while Havocs and Beaufighters made strafing sweeps inland from Salamaua to Mubo and along the coast from Salamaua to Bakumbari.

North of Australia Hudsons* swept across the Arafura Sea and attacked three enemy cargo vessels off Cape van der Bosch. The results are not known.

The sole Japanese air offensive was a harmless night ■ attack on the Port Moresby aerodrome area by two bombers. Need for Greater Air Power

This heavy emphasis on the offensive use of air power in the South Pacific is supported by Captain Rickenbacker, the well-known American airman. “It we do not hit at the heart of Japan through our air power the war will go on for years,” he told New York interviewers. “ Guadalcanar and PapUa are unbelievable victories, but they are only a one-thousandth part of the war against Japan. We cannot win by moving from island to island. Captain Rickenbacker said he could see no final victory before the autumn of 1944, and he added that unless the United Nations employed their air power to the maximum the end might be long delayed.