Imperial Valley press., 1943-10-17
Shipping Bombed
On RubuuI Route !.
{, a communique disclosed

this week, communique disclosed
today. ,..sS
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's head
quarters reported that strong Al
lied air forces bombed and strafed
enemy installations along the
northern and southern shore of
New Britain, while PIT boats raced
through the 70-mile- Dampier
Straits separating New Britain from
New Guinea, to attack japanese
shipping and shore positions. ~
DRIVE POSSIBILITY F
The attacks, coming SO soon after
the big Rabaul bombing, suggested
the possibility of an Allied drive
into New Britain from newly-won
bases on the northeast coast Of New
Guinea. Finschhafen, Lac and
Salamaua, all within less than 100
miles of the New Britain coast,
have been regarded as possible in
vasion springboards. ,a,1
The Japanese airdrome at Cape
Gloucester, on the northwestern
tip of New Britain, bore the brunt
of the new Allied attacks. A force
of heavy bombers ripped and burn
ed the field with AZ tons of ex-
plosives wednesday and Thursday,
causing widespread damage.
Other medium bombersy swept
over 15-mile arc of the New
Britain shoreline from Cape, Glou-
cester to Sagsag, bombing and ma
chine-gunning enemy-held villages
and destroying or damaging five
barges.
BLAST AIRDROME
A third force of raiders blasted
the Cape HoskinS airdrome, on the
north coast of New Britain mid
way between Cape Gloucester and
Rabaul, and sank a coastal vessel
offshore, while other bombers at
tackled the Lindenhafen airdrome
on the south shore of the island.
The speedy PIT boats sank a
small enemy coastal vessel, wrecked
eight barges beached at Tuam is
land, and machine gunned japanese
installations on Rookie island.
The communique also revealed
that Japanese troops halted their
headlong retreat down the Ramu
river valley in northeastern New
Guinea to fight pursuing Aus
tralian column in the jungles south
of their coastal base at Madang.s
The Japanese, after leaving more
than 400 of their dead along 1le
Jungle trails in their month-lOng
flight toward Madang, were making
stand behind network of pill
boxes and mountain guns along a
series of ridges guarding the south
ern approaches to Madang-an. i'm
portant supply center about 1855
miles northwest of Finschhafens,
A headquarters spokesman said
25-pound artillery, dropped by para
chute, was being used by the AIS
tralians to knock out the enemy
strong points. al
LIGHT CASUALTIES ~ ~
The Australians, last reported
/ only 35 miles below Madang, have
suffered exceedingly light" casp-
alties in the fighting thus far, the
spokesman said. IN
Medium bombers ranged ahead pf
the Australian column to drop 32
tons of bombs on an enemy air
drome in the Madang area, destroy
ing two japanese fighters on the
ground and smashing supply dumps
and gun positions. ~
American patrol planes bombed
enemy barges between Buka and
Bougainville islands in the northern
Solomons, but there was no word .pf
other activity in that area.
Japanese installations on Tinlor
and in the Kai and Tanimbar Is
lands north of Australia also were
raided by Allied planes.
Twelve enemy raiders struck back
at Allied-held Buna and Orc Bay,
in New Guinea, causing minor
damage, the communique said. sM