PACIFIC TARGETS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25454, 8 February 1944, Page 3

PACIFIC TARGETS

RABAUL AND WEWAK ENEMY OPPOSITION WEAKER (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent! (Rec. 10 p.m.) . SYDNEY, Feb. 7. Allied Solomons-based Liberators, Mitchells, and Corsairs attacking Rabaul (New Britain) on Friday found the Japanese air opposition greatly weakened. It is clear that with the heavy pressure now being exerted against his forces in the Central Pacific the enemy has not yet been able to replace his staggering January losses at Rabaul.

Friday’s was the thirty-first attack made on Japan’s key South-west Pacific base this year. Only 30 Zeros opposed our bombers when they struck against Vunakanau and Tobera airfields. Large fires resulted. Four Zeros were shot down, while two Allied planes are missing. Mitchells attacking the main Jan anese New Guinea base of Wewak dn not encounter any*air opposition. They left a 3000-ton merchantman in flames, sank five barges, and destroyed or damaged two floatplanes at their moorings.

Avengers and Mitchells, striking in force against the Hansa Bay area on Saturday, sank a 1000-ton freighter, a 120-foot lugger, and nine barges. Thunderbolts made a coastal sweep from Alexishafen to Bogadjim. . Cape Hoskins, on the northern coast of New Uritain, has been hit with 167 tons of bombs. Constant Allied air activity has caused such destruction at Cape Hoskins aerodrome that it is now of little use to the Japanese. North •of Australia Liberators and Beaufighters have attacked island targets.