LEFT BLAZING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 January 1944, Page 3

LEFT BLAZING

TWO JAPANESE HEAVY CRUISERS SMASHING AMERICAN ATTACK ENEMY DESTROYER BADLY DAMAGED. TOLL TAKEN OF ZEROS IN AIR BATTLE. <9 (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, January 4. Two Japanese heavy cruisers were crippled and set on fire, and a destroyer badly damaged by American carrierbased planes which on Saturday attacked an enemy convoy near the, entrance to Kavieng Harbour, New Ireland. In the accompanying fierce air battle 11 of 30 Japanese fighters were shot down with four others probably destroyed.

The enemy naval force, comprising two heavy cruisers and. two destroyers, is believed to have come from the main Japanese Pacific stronghold of Truk, about 800 miles to the north,, it was about to enter the harbour just befo're noon when the carrier-based bombers and fighters attacked. Strong anti-aircraft fire and Japanese fighter interception failed to break up the American raiding formations, hits being scored on both the heavy cruisers with torpedoes and 10001 b. bombs. A direct bomb hit .was also scored on one of the destroyers which, like the cruisers, was burning fiercely when last sighted. Both destroyers were raked with cannon and machine-gun ■fire.

Allied fighters later added a Japanese reconnaissance bomber and an accompanying Zero to their day’s tally of enemy aircraft destroyed. The Japanese air combat losses for Saturday were brought to 31 machines when 18 Zeros were shot down over Rabaul, New Britain. Solomons based Liberators. with a fighter escort, made a midday bombing attack on Lakunai aerodrome. Other enemy planes were probably destroyed. About 80 Zeros engaged an equal number of Allied aircraft. It has been officially announced from Washington that Allied aircraft are now operating against Rabaul from a newly constructed airfield at Empress Agusta Bay, Bougainville Island, only 250 miles away. This field is 850 miles from Truk. GAINS IN LAND FIGHTING. On land as well as in the air General MacArthur’s communique today reports further Allied successes in the South-West Pacific area. The Americans who captured Saidor on the northeast New Guinea coast on Sunday, have now secured their final objectives, having to overcome only light resistance to complete their task. The supporting aircraft, mainly Liberators and Bostons, have attacked possible centres for Japanese counter-attacking concentrations round Saidor with 125 tons of explosives.

Madang, the main target of the present New Guinea campaign, has been raided with a further 52 tens of bombs. Outflanked by the Amerman landing at Saidor, Japanese forces on the Huon Peninsula are in hast? retreat before the advancing Australians. Having captured Nuzen on Saturday the Australians are now pushing on toward Wald Bay.

The latest reports from Cape Gloucester, Western New Britain, say that American Marines captured more Japanese stores when they advanced four miles west of the Cape to Potni village on Saturday.

FALLING BACK

IN DIRECTION OF MADANG.

JAPANESE DRIVEN OUT OF SAIDOR. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) ' RUGBY, January 4. The Japanese at Saidor, in New Guinea, appear to have withdrawn to the hills to the north-west, towards Madang, reports a correspondent with the American forces. The initial opposition was slight, as the enemy was completely surprised. Senior Army officers expressing satisfaction at the pfogress made, said the operations were completed on the day of the landing. American casualties comprised only three dead and four wounded. Two sailors also were drowned while landing in surf. Eleven dead Japanese were found and two were taken prisoner. The enemy made a few air raids last night, causing slight damage. , Inland, in co-operation with air and ground observation, our artillery .is still registering on fresh targets high in the distant foothills.

NEW ZEALAND AIRMEN

PARTICIPATION IN BIG ALLIED AIR RAIDS. ON JAPANESE STRONGHOLDS. (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F? SOUTH PACIFIC, December 26. Across the narrow sea lanes between New Zealand-held Solomon Islands and Japanese-invested Bougainville, scores of Allied bomber and fighter aircraft blasted the enemy with high explosive and strafing raids in a special preChristmas speed-up this week. The heavily defended Shortland Islands, till recently one of the enemy’s big air bases, and still bristling with big guns and anti-aircraft positions, were bombed and strafed within sight of our Mono Island positions on Thursday, and barge traffic round the south Bougainville coast wats severely mauled.

New Zealand pilots, sharing in some of the biggest raids of the Pacific war. to date, have accompanied Liberator and Mitchell bombers as far north as Rabaul, giving fighter protection as more than 50 tons of bombs rained on the airstrip at Lakunsi in a raid that had the dual purpose of dislocating enemy communications between Nevz Britain and Bougainville, and of rendering assistance to the other arm of the Allied pincer, working from the Arawe area further west.

Reports received after the heavy raid on Wednesday, December 22. indicated that the Japanese had again

piled up big shipping concentrations in Rabaul Harbour, with the possible intention of using Rabaul for sending troops south-west to aid their stricken forces against General MacArthur’s advance. Many, barges were noticed in the harbour, which was a scene of confusion as the shipping tried to get out as quickly as possible, even though it was not on this occasion the prime bombing objective.