HEAVY TOLL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 273, 18 November 1943, Page 5

HEAVY TOLL

JAPANESE PLANES AND ' CARGO VESSELS PACIFIC OPERATIONS

(Special Australian Correspondent—N.Z.P.A.) Recd. 9.40 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 17.

Twenty-three Japanese planes have been destroyed and 10 probably destroyed, a transport sunk, a cargo vessel damaged and beached and a second cargo vesel damaged in Allied air operations reported in General MacArthur’s communique to-day. The raids reported included the heaviest K.A.A.r. Beauiort oomoer strikes yet maue against Rabaui, wneie an 8000-ton transport was sunk by a mast-heignt attacK and another large merchantman damaged. Tne Beautorts were over Rabaui.for two hours On Sunday night ana reported a considerable concentration oi enemy shipping still in the haroour. They droppea 17 tons oi bombs ana probably caused more extensive damage man tnat claimed officially, glare and intense anuaiicvUit uro ainaeied observation.

The strike offers evidence of tne rising burengtn ot tne K.A.A.F. in the iNe.v Guinea area.

The third Japanese shipping loss reported to-uay occurred on me New Ireland coast, where Catalinas scored direct bomb nits ana lorcea me vessel co beach.

The main Japanese air losses were inflicted when a Kittynawk fighter patrol intercepted enemy planes raiding Allied forward aerodromes at Auaab and Gusap, north-east New Guinea. They shot down 20 Japanese planes, witn six others probaaly destroyed. Our losses were light. Some damage, however, was done on the aerodromes, which provide air support for our ground operations in Ramu Valley. A counter-strike by Allied bombers, which dropped 76 tons of explosives on the enemy’s forward aerodromes around Alexishafen, which similarly provide air cover for the Japanese forces in Ramu Valley, met with no fighter interception. This was the fifth big Allied air attack on the area in the past ten days.

NEVER BRIGHTER

OUTLOOK FOR ALLIES (Special Australian Correspondent— N.Z.P.A.j Recd. 6.45 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 17. The outlook in the southern Pacific has never been brighter, declares an Australian war correspondent at General waUC Arthur’s headquarters. Tne Allies have wrested every tactical advantage from the Japanese in a series of bitter land battles and have gained control of the air. Against our pincer thrusts from the Solomons and New Guinea areas the enemy cannot hope to hold their main marshalling base at Rabaui unless they endeavour to stabilise the situation by risking a good part of their naval strength. Continuation of their present policy of dribbling in stop-gap reinforcements will merely involve losses which will require a ready reckoner to compute. Observers are impressed that Admiral Halsey’s evident confidence in his recent thrusts is backed by ’massive reserves of naval and air striking power. Responsible Allied commanders, however, do not expect that the Japanese will venture to bring a carrier-covered fleet within range of the Allies’ newly-won land bases.

Loss of the northern Solomons and Rabaui would dangerously expose Japan’s big naval base at Truk, 830 miles north of Rabaui. Such an Allied success might also pave the way tor a thrust through the central Pacific. Thus, in the defence of tneir dwindling holdings in the southern Pacitic, the Japanese face a grave and costly dilemma. The present situation on this front is that (1) the Japanese do not have sufficient air bases from which to deploy planes in strength essential for effective defence; (2) a major enemy fleet is not likely to venture into these waters without landbased air protection; (3) the Japanese land forces seem incapable of winning back their lost bases without sustained and large-scale naval support. The sharp decline in tne Japanese fortunes in this area began after a secret meeting between General MacArthur and Admiral Halsey on the Australian mainland early in June. Since then the enemy has been steadily forced into a corner, lacking any simple escape alternatives.

TRIBUTE TO AUSTRALIANS

Reed. 6 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 16. Major-General Lethbridge, head of the British military mission now touring the South and South-west Pacitic areas, has arrived in New Guinea. He will visit the forward battle areas at Finschhafen and the Ramu Valley. General Lethbridge, who arrived straight from an Australian jungle training school, said that every member of the mission was‘profoundly impressed by the realism and spirit with which Australia was tackling the jungle-training of troops,

He said: “Tnese are magnificent soldiers -first-class materia?. I don’t think anywhere in the world you will find a more formidable fighter than the Australian in the jungle.”