SOUTH PACIFIC BATTLE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22554, 12 April 1943, Page 5

SOUTH PACIFIC BATTLE

ANOTHER ROUND DUE SOON

Allies Intensify Air

Blockade

By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright (Rec. 8.0) SYDNEY, April 11. The intensification of the Allied air blockade of Japanese bases along the north-east coast of New Guinea, particularly those from Salamaua to Madang, is revealed in General MacArthur’s week-end communique. Madang now follows Wewak as the enemy’s chief New Guinea base.

Reports indicate that the Japanese are further developing both Madang and Alexishafen, 12 miles north of Madang, as front line protection for their main base at Wewak. Recent air reconnaissance has shown they have built a 1500 yard airstrip at Alexishafen, and are already constructing a second strip, giving them three aerodomes within 20 miles. From Madang a road beginning at Wewak runs to Finschafen, from where supplies are being got to the beleaguered enemy garrison in the Lae-Salamaua-Mubo triangle.

Various points along this supply line were under a devastating Allied air attack both on Friday and Saturday. Both Madang and Wewak have had their biggest raids. These attacks began on Friday when Mitchell mediumbombers with a top cover of Lightning fighters bombed Madang for nearly three hours. They destroyed six grounded aircraft, blew up fuel and ammunition dumps and damaged wharf installations as well as silencing antiaircraft guns.

Photographs taken later in the day showed smoke and flames still rising to 3000 feet. General MacArthur’s communique to-day tells how Beaufighters and Flying Fortresses repeated and extended these attacks on Saturday. The presence of enemy shipping and supply barges reported in the communique indicates that the Japanese are continuing the .steady if costly reinforcement of these bases. On Friday at Alexishafen where a launch and five loaded barges were strafed, one barge burst into flames and two others were left sinking. While these tactics were virtually uninterrupted by Japanese planes, the building of new airstrips shows the enemy’s readiness to introduce heavy air power at the opportune moment. That the enemy has the necessary aircraft available at strategic supply points is indicated by last Wednesday’s raid on American shipping which was made by 98 planes. Previously the strongest air fleet employed by the Japanese was against Darwin in February, when 89 planes took part. “The signs of an unprecedented Japanese air concentration in the Northern Solomons may be significant for either the Solomons or the New Guinea area,” writes an Australian war correspondent from Guadalcanal. “The general feeling among the American forces here is that another round in the battle of the South Pacific cannot long be delayed.” The Americans are obviously reinforcing their Solomons positions against a possible enemy move, while the sustained weight of General MacArthur’s air attacks shows his determination to prevent the Japanese from becoming successfully poised for a new offensive spring. Official Communique General MacArthur’s communique states:— North-western Sector Timor: Our medium units successfully bombed and strafed the enemy occupied villages of Ossu and Viqueque causing heavy damage and starting large fires. Tenimber Island (Saumlaki): One of our medium units bombed the enemy occupied village of Laoerang.

Aroe Islands (Dobo): One of our medium units raided the town. North-eastern Sector New Britain (Arawe): One of our heavy units bombed the aerodrome.

New Guinea (Alexishafen-Madang): Our long-range fighters at dawn executed a low-level strafing sweep along the coast. At Alexishafen hangars, the powerhouse and other installations were swept with cannon and machine-gun fire. In Madang harbour a power barge was sunk and the waterfront area thoroughly strafed, starting new fires which were still burning three hours later with smoke rising to 4000 feet. Large fires started at the docks in the previous day’s raid were still burning. Later in the day our heavy units in single attacks bombed and strafed the aerodrome. There was anti-aircraft fire but no interception. Bogia: Shortly after daylight our medium units executed a low-level bombing and strafing attack on enemy ground installations and occupied barracks and villages in the vicinity, leaving a train of fires throughout the area. Two direct bomb hits completely destroyed a battery of five heavy machine-guns. Nearby a fuel servicing unit was set ablaze and surface craft in the harbour were raked with heavy calibre machine-gun fire. At dusk one of our heavy units strafed eight large loaded power barges in the harbour, heavily damaging and forcing them to be beached.

Wewak: At dawn our heavy bombers attacked three times, dropping 30 tons of explosives on the seaplane base, aerodrome, wharf and shore installations and shipping in the harbour. Direct hits destroyed a 1000 ton cargo vessel off the jetty. Another ship of 500 tons was seriously damaged by a 5001 b bomb, scoring either a direct hit or a near hit. A 1500 ton vessel five miles offshore was heavily strafed and set afire. On shore a large ammunition dump was blown up by a direct hit. Three searchlights and two anti-air-craft positions were put out of action and fires were left burning in the town, the aerodrome and the seaplane base A lone enemy fighter intercepted and was shot clown in flames.