RAID ON WEWAK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25240, 1 June 1943, Page 3

RAID ON WEWAK

FLYING FORTRESSES ' ENEMY AIRFIELDS BOMBED (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent! (Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 31. In spite of storm conditions, General MacArthur’s bombers on Sunday made a damaging attack against Japanese aerodromes near Wewak. Flying Fortresses dropped 13 tons of bombs, including fragmentation bombs and incendiaries, in a raid before dawn on the Wewak and Boram airfields! To-day’s communique from Southwest Pacific headquarters reports: “An ammunition dump near the aerodrome was detonated, explosions continuing for 10 minutes. Fuel fires were started and numerous other blazes in the dispersal areas indicated burning aircraft. The intense anti-aircraft fire which was at first encountered was considerably diminished by the explosions of 10001 b bombs. Many searchilghts were

active. Five were put out of action by low-level strafing, three being destroyed and two probably destroyed." Liberators made a 1500-mile round trip flight to attack Kendari, the important enemy base in the Celebes. The jetty and a 3000-ton merchant vessel were the principal targets. The movement of Japanese barges along the New Britain coast was interrupted by a Flying Fortress on armed reconnaissance. At least five barges were destroyed in a sweep covering the BtetterT Bay area. The Japanese have been making extensive use of barges to ferry supplies from Rabaul to the outlying garrisons, just as'they are employing them for supplying outlying New Guinea bases from Wewak.