BISMARCK SEA BATTLE

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

BISMARCK SEA BATTLE

COST TO COMBATANTS SURVEY BY MR CURTIN (Rec 1.30 a.m.) CANBERRA, Mar. 15. The Bismarck Sea battle cost Australia £1,577,000 in equipment and material, compared with Japan’s loss of £10,000,000, exclusive of 15,000 soldiers who went down with the convoy. These figures were given by the Prime Minister. Mr J. Curtin,, in a nationwide broadcast to-night, when launcning the' third Liberty Loan of £100,000,000. The service departments concerned had been asked to make estimates of the cost of the battle, and these told a stark yet graphic story of the cost to Australia, said the Prime Minister. . ‘ , The routine cost of the squadrons during the period of operations, plus repairs to aircraft damaged by the enemy and the general overhaul of all planes, accounted for £1,377,000. bombs and ammunition cost £35,000, the three fighters and bomber lost took £123,000. and aviation fuel used up £42,000. The dividends that money paid were: (1) The enemy was robbed of initiative in the strategy he had planned. (2) An enemy force was destroyed which, once landed, would have cost many valuable lives and millions of pounds to dig out and defeat. (3) The enemy’s shipping and air strength suffered serious depreciation. That reverse, Mr Curtm said, was only one of many blows that must be struck at the enemy before the United Nations could gather the strength necessary for a final crushing blow at the heart of Japan.