AT RABAUL HARBOUR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 229, 29 September 1942, Page 5

AT RABAUL HARBOUR

BIG JAP SHIP ON FIRE HIT BY ALLIED BOMBERS NO CHANGE IN NEW GUINEA (Special Australian Correspondent—N.Z.P.A.) (Recd. 11.20 p.m.) Sydney, Sept. 28. Allied heavy bombers scored a direct hit and a near miss on a 15,-000-ton Jap merchant ship in Rabaul Harbour. When last seen the vessel was on fire. The vessel was the largest reported hit in a series of five raids in six days on Rabaul. Flying Fortresses, which made the attack shortly alter dawn, dropped bombs from a medium altitude on the largest ship in the port. There has been no change in the New Guinea Land situation. On the Owen Stanley front Allied aircraft again bombed and macninegunned supply lines. In the BunaKokoda area supply installations, barges, camps anu storage buildings were attacked and fires were startea. Allied medium bombers made a night raid on the airfield at Buin, on the southern end of Bougainville Island. The American correspondent, Robert Miller, says that American, fliers operating from Kukum airfiela, Guadalcanar, up to September 16 had shot down 127 Jap planes, sunk two ships and damaged five, sunk 16 launches and damaged vital ground installations. In four weeks 10 United States fliers destroyed 82 enemy planes. American losses were 19 planes and 16 men missing. The sole Japanese offensive during the past 24 hours has been another ineffectual night raid on Darwin. Two or three planes dropped bombs harmlessly in the scrub. However, although the actual Jap air activities remain small, Tokio radio continues to broadcast fantastic claims of devastating attacks. Allied troops at Port Moresby have been intrigued by Tokio’s claim that Port Moresby’s non-existent tram service has been bombed out of action. Japanese planes made three raids on the Port Moresby area during the past week, but caused no damage or casualties.

There is no sign that the Japanese are yet prepared to challenge Allied air supremacy. The supply route in the Buna-Kokoda area has been bombed daily since September 15 but only two attempts were made at interception by enemy fighters.

SOUTH-WEST PACIFIC IMPORTANCE “IS IT SECONDARY FOR ALLIES?” (Recd. 11.30 p.m.) New York, Sept. 27 “The Allies are treating the Southwest Pacific front as of secondary importance until Hitler is cleaned up,” says the New York Daily News in an editorial. "The persistence of the Japanese effort to take Port Moresby suggests that they regard the front as anything but unimportant. It looks as though General MacArthur and his generals have their hands full. Some of our most respected, experts had decided that the Japanese were sure to attack Siberia or India next, but is not it possible the Japanese are planning to strike at Australia? Success would give them a pearl of great price. Port Moresby would provide an ideal jumping-off place for such an attack. It is not at. all certain the Japanese could take Australia with all the power they could bring against if. General MacArthur and the Australians would certainly fight them gallantly if they tried, but the question, keeps recurring: ‘Have the Allies’ chiefs of strategy been entirely well advised in regard to the South-west Pacific? Is it, so secondary a front? Might not it have been wise to garrison Australia heavily, and stock it heavily with tanks, planes and suns enough to keep Australia white?”