GROWING DANGER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25175, 16 March 1943, Page 3

GROWING DANGER

JAPANESE MOVEMENTS THREAT TO AUSTRALIA (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) (Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, Mar. 15. General MacArthur’s communique to-day gave the first official warning of the threat to Australia from the Japanese concentrations in the Arafura and Banda Seas areas in the north-western sector of his command. Previous warnings of these concentrations emanated from political circles. To-day’s communique specifies the areas of Ambon, the former important Dutch East Indies naval base, and Dobo, in the Aru Islands. Ambon is 58* miles from Darwin and D0b0.500 miles. Enemy installations at Dobo were recently blasted out of existence by Allied air attacks, and the Japanese were forced to abandon the town. Several recent raids have been made on shipping in the Ambon area. The spokesman at General MacArthur’s headquarters to-day declined to amplify the brief communique statement. He said that elaboration was not possible at this stage. General MacArthur’s communique is as follows: Our air reconnaissance shows a growing concentration of enemy transports and cargo ships in the AmbonDobo area. The enemy’s ground forces there are being reinforced and new airfields are being constructed. Dilli (Timor): One of our heavy units bombed the town area with unobserved results. Two enemy fighters attempting interception were driven off. One was seen smoking and is believed to have been destroyed.

Buka (the Solomons): Our medium bombers executed a four-hour night harassing raid on the aerodrome under bad conditions. Bombs fell across the runway and in the dispersal bays. The results could not be observed. Übili (New Britain): One of our heavy units strafed the wharf and adjacent installations. Kimbe Bay: One of our heavy units strafed a small enemy vessel off Cape Hoskins. Gasmata: One of our heavy units bombed the aerodrome. Cape Gloucester: One of our heavy units strafed anti-aircraft positions. Wewak (New Guinea): Our heavy bombers in low-level attacks on an enemy convoy scored a direct hit with a 5001 b bomb near the bow of a large destroyer, strafing the decks during the bombing run. A 7000-ton cargo ship was also hit. An 8000-ton transport, previously reported hit and on fire, was seen to explode on both sides, and was last seen blazing from stem to stern. A 4000-ton cargo ship, previously reported hit, was later ascertained to be a tanker. It was not subsequently seen, and is believed to have been sunk. Co-ordinated with the attacks on shipping, other heavy bombers attacked the aerodrome and the town area. Heavy anti-aircraft fire was encountered from the ships and the shore, but there was no attempt at interception. All our planes returned. Madang: One of our heavy units dropped 10001 b bombs on the aerodrome and runway and on adjacent installations.