WAR IN PACIFIC

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22244, 13 January 1944, Page 3

WAR IN PACIFIC

HEAVY RAID ON RABAUL DAMAGE AT AIRFIELDS AUSTRALIAN ADVANCE (Received Jan. 13, 1 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 13 The heaviest raid yet made on Rabaul, New Britain, was carried out on Sunday, it is announced from the South Pacific Headquarters. } About 200 Liberators dive and ! torpedo bombers and fighters struck at the Vunakana and Tobera aero- : dromes. The Tobera airfield is I believed to have been made largely j unusable. When 40 Zeros rose to intercept I the attack on Tobera New Zealand iand American fighters shot down 21, [with five others probably destroyed. Two New Zealand-manned Lightnings and one American-manned Hellcat were lost. The Japanese installations in the Shortland Islands, Northern Solomons, were shelled on Saturday night by Allied cruisers and destroyers, firing 6000 rounds. Proporang Island was also shelled and the shore batteries silenced. In an attack on Kwajalein Island Navy Liberators bombed six small cargo ships, two of which were sunk 'and the remainder damaged, says a Pacific Fleet communique. It adds that several buildings and other | shore installations were set on fire, j Two planes were damaged on the 'ground. No fighter interception was j encountered. I Army heavy bombers bombed the ,Maleolap atoll, starting a number of | fires and wrecking two planes on the ! ground. Another group of Liberators bombed the Mili atoll. All our .'planes returned undamaged. I Enemy bombers carried out nuisance raids on Tarawa, Makin and Abemana, but caused no damage. Shelling of Japanese Australian troops driving along the north New Guinea coast are within eight miles of Sio. Allied artillery is shelling Japanese installations at Gneisenau Point, about four miles from Sio. At Cape Gloucester, New Britain, where* the American Marines are still thrusting forward in the Borgen Bay area, two strong Japanese counter-attacks were repulsed on Monday. The enemy troops continue to offer fierce resistance. The latest air battle over Rabaul has cost the Japanese 16 fighters. Four Allied planes were lost. Maintaining their persistent aerial sweeps over this key enemy base, our Solo-mons-based heavy torpedo divebombers, with fighter escort, were intercepted by 40 Zeros. In spite of this interception they carried out attacks on Vunakanua and Tobera aerodromes. The runways were damaged, anti-aircraft positions were hit and a parked plane

destroyed. Destroyer Set on Fire Damage to Japanese shipping reported by the latest South-west Pacific communique includes a destroyer and a 1500-ton merchantman set on fire. The destroyer was the escort vessel with an enemy convoy of six ships. The eonvoy was attacked by a United States Navy Catalina 40 miles south-east of Dyaiil Island, New Ireland, on Sunday night. A direct bomb hit amidships left the destroyer burning, 'with its antiaircraft guns silent. The heaviest Allied air attack recorded by General MacArthur’s communique today was against the Japanese barge and supply base of Bogadjim on the north coast of New Guinea. In a series of raids over two days 76 tons of bombs were dropped.