Evening star., 1943-04-13

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Page Bis
By the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
AUSTRALIA, April 13.-News OF
an Allied air victory in the skies
over Port Moresby, New Guinea
was coupled today with an Off
cial warning that the japanese
have massed 100000 flrst-line
troops at bases above Australia
and that a new enemy bid to re-
gain the initiative in the South
west Pacific may be expected at
any moment.
The victory over Port Moresby, in
which 81 of 100 Japanese air raid
ers were reported knocked out of
action, brought to 76 the number OF
enemy planes accounted for in the
last two days, and Gen. Douglas
MacArthur's headquarters said these
losses apparently had blunted a
large-scale air offensive and dis
located the immediate plans of the
japanese.
That the Japanese still are force
to be reckoned with, however, was
emphasized by Gen. Sir Thomas
Blamey, commander of Allied ground
forces in this theater, who told a
press conference that the enemy is
making a tremendous effort to re-
gain parity and then mastery OF the
air.
Stresses Importance.
"The japanese are concentrating
their aggressive attentions-already
developed to strength of 100000
frst-line troops and a powerful air
force-along the island arc north
ward of Australia for the purpose of
returning to an offensive interrupted
by successive Allied successes in the
Coral Sea, the Solomons, New
Guinea and the Bismarck Sea-" Gen.
Blamey said.
The result OF this struggle in the
next few weeks will have the great
est Importance for us"
Japanese communique broad
cast by Berlin claimed transport
steamer was sunk at Port Mores-
by. that % planes were destroyed
eloft and more than 10 aground.
Several military establishments
and 20 troop barracks were de-
clared destroyed The japanese
said they lost five planes, all in
suicide dives into targets.
THE same communique report
ing the attack on Orc Bay April
II said three transports and a
destroyer were sunk and num-
ber of smaller warships damaged.
There the japanese claimed to
have destroyed 81 Allied pursuit
planes at the cost of 6, several of
which "dived into enemy tar
gets.D
Air Control Important.
Gen. Blamey declared that "the
profound shock" of the losses re-
Gently suffered by the japanese in
the Bismarck area and in other re-
lated actions has taught them they
cannot move large forces without
gaining air control.
Of the enemy raiders reported
knocked out over Port Moresby yes
terday, Allied fighters were credited
with 10 bomberS and 10 fighters,
while anti-aircraft batteries claimed
2 planes definitely shot down and
6 ''probables."
Allied airmen also shot down or
badly damaged Is other japanese
aircraft elsewhere in the Southwest
Pacific yesterday, sank an enemy
submarine off New Britain, DAM
aged at least two cargo ships and
blasted air bases in wide-sweeping
raids.
Bomber Fights IL Planes.
In half-hour running battle
over Wewak, midway on the north
east coast of New Guinea, single
Allied heavy bomber battled u in
tercepting japanese fighters and
brought down 7, with only "negli-
gible damage to itself, the Allied
comIflunique said.
Yesterdays heavy attack by the
japanese on Port Moresby followed
by "a hours raid by As fighters and
bombers on Orc Bay, where Allied
airmen knocked out % enemy
planes.
The repulse of the Port Moresby
raid, described officially as "a COM
plete defeat" for the japanese, was
accomplished at the cost of relatively
(See PACIFIC, Page A-16)