The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-11-16

Empress Augusta Bay, on Bou- gainvilles west coast, seven enemy bombers attacked Puruata Island and Torokina Cape Friday night. causing only minor casualties, the communique said.
 Allied aircraft continued to blast enemy airdromes on Bou- gainville end Buka Island, to the north. Before dawn Saturday Nit chell medium bombers at treetop height dropped Augmentation par achute bombs or airdromes in the Buka-Bourgainville area, expending 10000 rounds of machine-gun fire.
 Lightning fighter patrols attacked and probably destroyed Saturday an enemy troop-laden barge at Matchin Bay, Buka, and later re- turned to rake installations at Tar lena. Anti i-aircraft fire was in- tense.
 Liberators Blast Airdrome
 Liberator bombers dropped fifty one tons of explosives on the Bonis airdrome, northern Bougainville, hitting the runway, dispersal areas and anti-aircraft positions. The Bonis field has never become oper- ative, since Allied airmen began bombing it when its construction was almost compelled.
 Other aerial activity included a Sunday night raid by Hudsons on Penfoei airdrome on Timor Island northwest of Australia. Fires were started that wer visible for fifty miles.
 Enemy bombers, apparently at- tempting to retaliate for Saturdays air blow against the Madang- Alexishafen area on New Guinea's northeastern coast, raided Finsch- hafen on the Huon Peninsula by daylight, dropping thirty bombs which fell harmlessly in the harbor.
 Adverse weather interfered with all air operations, the communique said.
 By United Press
 American planes and troops ripped through Japan's crumbling outposts in the northern Solomons while land-based U. s. Army Lib- orators struck for the first time into the Marshall islands, on the eastern flank of the enemy's mid- Pacific defense perimter, Allied com- muniques disclosed today.
 Only minor patrol clashes were reported on Bougainville island, where American Marines and sol- diers spread out slowly over difi- cult terrain from their beachhead at Empress Augusta bay.
 American warplanes operating in support of the ground action dumped 51 tons of explosives on the Bonis airfield north of Bougainville, where the Japanese had been trying so rebuild landing strips for a new blow against the Bougainville in- vaders.
 The raiders ripped up the airfleld, destroyed three grounded planes and wrecked a barge loaded with Japanese troops.
 Catalina patrol bombers also were on the attack northwest of Bou- gainville, scoring a direct 1,000- pound bomb hit on an enemy light cruiser off Rabaul and hitting a 10,- 000-ton merchant ship with four 500-pounders.
 On New Guinea, Allied planes bombed and strafed Japanese install laitons north of Finschhafen, and a Tokyo radio broadcast indicated that the Allies have established a new airdrome deep in the Markham river valley, only 80 miles from the enemy coastal base at Madang.
 A Pearl Harbor communique dis closed that land-based Liberators of the 7th U. s. Air Force staged three raids on the Marshall and Gilbert islands last Friday night and Saturday (EWT.) The bombers struck twice at Betio, part of Tarawa atoll in the Gilberts, and once at Mill, on the southern edge of the Marshall group.