SMASHING RAID

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 207, 2 September 1943, Page 5

SMASHING RAID

JAP PLANES DESTROYED AT WEWAK HEAVY ENEMY LOSSES 'By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) Recd. 11 p.m. Sydney, Sept. 1. In another smashing raid on Japanese aerodromes at Wewak, on the north coast of New Guinea, Allied heavy bombers destroyed on the ground 20 to 25 enemy aircraft, the majority of them medium bombers. There was no interception by Japanese fighters, and all our planes returned. To-day’s communique from General MacArthur's headquarters, detailing this successful attack, says: Heavy oornbers with strong fighter escort attacked enemy aerodromes and installations at Dagua, But and Tadji with 92 tons of 5001 b. and 10001 b. bombs. At Dagua 20 to 25 grounded aircraft were destroyed. Al But three large blazes in revetments indicated burning aircraft. Huge exlosions and fuel fires visible 50 miles were seen in dump areas. Heavy destruction in the enemy's recent air reinforcements brought up to the main Wewak base, probably from the Netherlands East Indies, the Philippines and Formosa, great damage to fields and installations, and the burning of massed air stores and supplies assembled there, forced the enemy’s New Guinea air concentrations to base at Hollandia and farther to the rear, dangerously removed from the ground garrisons which this force is designed to support in the forward New Guinea areas. The communique also reports other successful raids on enemy objectives in the South-west Pacific. Medium units dropped 13 tons of explosives on; the aerodrome at Cape Gloucester,! New Britain, setting fire to five enemy bombers on the ground. Long-range fighters raided an enemy seaplane base at Tamerfane, in the Aros Islands, shooting clown one fl*«.tplane and damaging two others. One Allied fighter failed to return from this raid. In the New Ireland sector heavy reconnaissance units bombed a Japanese cargo ship near Kavieng with undisclosed results. An enemy destroyer was bombed and strafed near Cape St. George Allied attack planes at ground level bombed and strafed enemy barge hide-outs on the Mape River. Finsc'hhafen. Air activity in the Solomons area was limited to reconnaissance.