NO OPPOSITION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 94, 21 April 1944, Page 5

NO OPPOSITION

ALLIED AIR ATTACKS IN PACIFIC WIDESPREAD TARGETS (Special Australian Correspondent— N.Z.P.A. Recd. 10.15 p.m. Sydney, April 20. No Japanese air opposition was again encountered in widespread attacks reported in General MacArthur’s communique to-day. Allied bombers ranged from Timor in the west to Bougainville in the east and the Carolines in the north. Some enemy fighters were seen by Solomonsbased Liberators, which again bombed Namoi, 150 miles south-east of Truk, on Monday, but the Japanese planes avoided combat. The Liberator crews found that thc runway on the Satawan airfield, cratered in the previous day’s attack, had been repaired. They again tore up the runway with a further 27 tons of bombs. No ground fire was encountered and the bombing runs against the airfield and personnel areas were made at a medium altitude. Striking in daylight on Tuesday, other Solomons-based Liberators returned to Woleaai, in the Carolines, starting new fires in aerodrome and supply dump areas. Dauntlesses, Avengers and Mitchells from the Solomons on Monday destroyed more gun positions and supply dumps at Rabaul. Adverse weather hindered air operations along the northern New Guinea coast, but Allied patrol planes were able to attack scattered targets from Madang to Aitape. On the south coast of Dutch New Guinea Liberators defied bad weather to make daylight raids on Japanese aerodromes at Manakwari, Waren and Namoi. A cluster of airfields around Geelvink Bay were attacke don Tuesday without enemy opposition. An 800-ton small ship was damaged and a lugger sunk bv an Allied aircraft operating over the waters north of Australia.