ENEMY FORCES AT RABAUL

Southland Times, Issue 25691, 28 June 1943, Page 5

ENEMY FORCES AT RABAUL

SHIPS AND PLANES (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 9 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 27. The concentration of Japanese snipping in Rabaul harbour now includes a small converted aircraft-carrier. The latest reconnaissance also shows 170 planes on the Rabaul airfield network. This figure shows a slight increase on the numbers recently sighted. It is possible that the carrier has been used to ferry aircraft to this key enemy base. The Japanese shipping concentration at Rabaul, including warships, remains substantially unchanged. Aircraft concentrations at Vunakanau aerodrome and Rabaul dock installations were again attacked by General MacArthur’s heavy bombers in a predawn raid on Saturday. More than 20 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped. Intense antiaircraft fire was encountered. Two of our bombers are missing. Today’s communique makes no specific claims as to damage inflicted. An Australian Beaufort bomber on Friday scored a near miss on one of three 1000-ton Japanese vessels in a convoy between New Britain and the northern Solomons. A destroyer was escorting the merchantmen, which appeared to be heading in the direction of Bougainville. The Beaufort attacked 65 miles south-south-east of Cape St. George in the Rabaul area. Lae in northern New Guinea has been under heavy attack by Allied medium bombers, but dense smoke prevented an accurate assessment of the damage. The Madang and Finschhafen areas were also raided in the past 48 hours. Offensive activity by General MacArthur’s bombers in this period has been limited and there are no reports of Japanese air activity.