BEATEN BACK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 June 1942, Page 3

BEATEN BACK

SECOND ENEMY ATTEMPT TO RAID DARWIN "’•Jg* FOUR JAPANESE FIGHTERS DESTROYED. BOMBERS FAIL TO PENETRATE TO OBJECTIVE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, June 15. Interception by Allied fighter planes frustrated a second Japanese attempt in the weekend to raid Darwin. These were the first air attacks on the Australian mainland since April 27. In the Sunday’s action, which is described by the Allied headquarters communique as “brilliant,” our airmen shot down four out of 18 to 25 Zeros. One Allied plane was lost. The Japanese bombers, for which the fighters formed a protective screen, were not engaged, but they did not penetrate their objective and returned to their home bases complete with their bomb loads. The Australian pilot baled out of the plane which was brought down and he suffered a broken leg. He was machinegunned by enemy fighters as he descended. Our fighters, which were on patrol, engaged the enemy in the early afternoon at a height of about 28,000 feet. Darwin has now had 17 air raids. The biggest, on February 19 (when 72 bombers and fighters participated), was made from a height of 15,000 feet, and later raids were made from 18,000 feet. The next series was at 20,000 feet, and Saturday’s was at 25,000 feet. Darwin's defenders claim that the Japanese “habit” of bombing on special days is becoming monotonous. Sunday was the United Nations’ Flag Day, and Saturday was MacArthur Day. Previous raids have taken place on Good Friday, Anzac Day and Easter Monday. The Japanese fighters attacking Darwin are believed to be based on Koepang, Timor, some 400 miles away. Fitted with extra tanks, they have a range of up to 1400 miles. The Japanese, in their sixteenth air raid on Darwin on Saturday, dropped about 150 bombs, from a height of nearly six miles, but did no more damage than to pock-mark the open ground with crater holes and set grass alight. The nearest to . a casualty was an anti-aircraft sergeant who was hit on his tin helmet by a piece of falling shrapnel. Darwin had good warning of the Japanese approach. In spite of the height at which the raiders were flying, anti-aircraft shells burst among them and forced them to break up their formations. Each machine got its bombs away as quickly as possible and made for home. The raid was all over in a few seconds. YET ANOTHER RAID SLIGHT DAMAGE & FEW CASUALTIES. LONDON, June 15. Darwin had its eighteenth raid this afternoon, when 27 enemy bombers, escorted by fighters, came over. The damage was slight and there were few casualties.