JAPANESE LOSE HEAVILY

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIV, Issue 22671, 26 August 1943, Page 5

JAPANESE LOSE HEAVILY

Pressure Maintained On Wewak Week’s Bag Totals 300 Planes By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright • Rec. 10.20) SYDNEY, Aug. 25. More than 100 Allied planes yesterday made a record raid on Wewak, the key Japanese base on the north New Guinea coast. Liberators, escorted by Lightning fighters, dropped 112 tons of bombs in a swift attack on the town and aerodrome areas. General MacArthur’s communique reports that much damage resulted, and numerous fires and explosions were observed. Twenty Zeros which were in the air sb' wed reluctance to engage, but one .;as shot down. In actions during the last week the Japanese lost more than 300 planes around Wewak. Forced back by Allied pressure, the Japanese at Salamaua continue to withdraw. No fresh information on the land situation in this area is given in. ,tp-? day’s communique. Allied aircraft in the Solomons continue to keep a close watch on enemy ship movements. Shortly before dusk yesterday a Liberator attacked a Japanese cruiser south-east of Buka. Bougainville Island. The warship put up a smokescreen and fled into the darkness. Just before midnight one of our reconnaissance planes, about 40 miles west oi Buka, dropped bombs on an enemy convoy of 10 vessels headed north. Two daylight attempts were made by enemy fighters to attack Vella Layella in the Central Solomons on Mon - dav. Our fighters shot down nine ot the enemy planes, including seven Zeros, and damaged two others. War correspondents in the Solomons report that American troops were landed on Vella Lavella 10 days ago and have now cleared the southern area of the island of Japanese. On New Georgia Japanese positions at Bairoko Harbour are now within range of Allied artillery.