FOURTH DARWIN RAID

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 65, 18 March 1942, Page 5

FOURTH DARWIN RAID

ATTACK BY FOURTEEN PLANES London, March 16. Darwin had its fourth raid this afternoon, when 14 heavy Japanese bombers flew over lhe town in two waves. Mr. J. Curtin, the Australian Prime Minister, announced that slight damage was done. During the past two days, Japanese bombers have not got nearer to the Australian mainland than the islands near Cape York, the most northerly tip of Australia m Torres Strait. During these operations Allied pilots took part in the lighting for the first time. It was an Allied pilot, who seeing a Japanese airman about to shoot dow n one of our planes, turned on the enemy, and when his gun failed, rammed the enemy machine on the starboard wing. The cockpit was torn og the Japanese plane. The Allied pilot managed to land his machine though nis wing, too, was damaged. In these raias the Japanese lost at least one bomber and two fighters for certain and several other planes were badly damaged. Our losses were one plane on the ground and one lighter shot down. Australian planes are not merely on the defensive. Yesterday, the R.A.A.F'. attacked the enemy-occupied aerodrome at Dili, in Portuguese Timor, without loss to themselves. SERVICE MEN KILLED (Recd. 9.30 p.m.) Canberra, March 17. To service men were killed and eleven wounded in yesterday’s Darwin raid by Japanese aircraft. The raid, according to a communique issued today, was directed at R.A.F. objectives. No attack was made on the township. About 100 bombs were dropped. There as some damage to buildings but no aircraft were destroyed. The enemy machines operated from 15,000 ft. The communique added that no. fresh landings by the Japanese were reported in either New Guinea or