Evening star., 1943-11-04
Allied Bombers Blast
Is japanese Ships
In Raid at RabauI
BY The Associated Press.

H1
LIED HEADQUARTERS. Nov. 4.
Allied air might, dispersed in
strength at bases from which
to strike hard and swiftly, has
blasted into twisted hulks the
WarShips and transports Japan
maSSeds at Rabaul to counter
smash the Northern Solomons
invasion.
In a dazzling display of diversi-
fed power, Gen. Douglas MacAr-
thurs big bomber force sank three
deStroyers and eight large mer-
chantmen or transports at Rabaul
Tuesday and ripped open the hull
OF heavy cruiser while planes
of Admiral William F.. Halsey ranged
the length of embattled Bougain-
Yille. blowing new holes in its un-
useable airfielGs.
Admiral HalSey's units also dived
and sWirled in day-long battles to
keep japanese planes away from
the American marines driving
enemy soldiers back into the iungles
on Bou2ainvllle's west coast
In all these operations, nearly
100000 tons of Japanese shipping
were sunk or damaged, l29 enemy
planes were destroyed or crippled
and more than 200 tons of explosives
tore into the enemyS power to
resist.
Bougainville Beachhcad Expanded.
Under such formidable cir cover
the drlVe to ouSt The japanese
from the rest of the SolOmOns and
lunge at Rabaul gained ground. The
marines, killing more than 1876 ,Japs
at cost Of about so of their own
men, expanded the beachhead won
Monday at Empress Augusta Bav
on BOugainylIlc
In co-ordlnated invasion opera =
tons to the south. American and
Ne" Zealand troops on tiny Treas
urN Island scattered its 200 jap de-
lenders IN the lungles and hunted
thcm down over trails stained with
enemy blood. On ChOlscul, Ameri-
can paratroOp marines captured the
barge depot of Sangi9ai and chased
iieelng JapS toward the southeastern
end OF the the island
Admiral Halsev lubllantlv called
the operations the f1eXing SPRING
board for the longer jumps ahead "
He declared the Allies now are able
10 hit harder, faster, more often and
m more places than the japanese
ever had dared think possible and
nat appearance of the japanese
fleet would BRING nearer the day for
he march through Toxic"
Tuesdays Rabaul smash was
devastating. More than $50 Mitch
Ills and LlehtnmgS swept in, the
)ombelS as low as the tops of
ships maSts. to strike for As min
lteS at vessels the Japanese mad
'ushcd down from Truk for counter
INVASION action.
20 Ships Sunk or Damaged.
IW"ntN-SiN ships, nearly every one
n Rabaul'S S huge haybor. either were
'unk or damaged. Fifty thousand
tons were represented in the three dc
'troIerS, eight large merchant Ships
ana four small coastal vessels sunk
One heavy cruiser was left listing
with a large hole in the hull A
oCond took a direct hit Seven large
merchant vessels. aggreeating 10000
onS, an 8C00-ton tanker and an
other OF 5000 tons were knocked out
# action.
Japanese resistance was fierce.
both by $50 fighters and by anti
aircraft batteries. Despite that the
score was at least 80 to I9 in favor
If the Allies. LlehtningS shot down
ut least IL Of the lntcrccptors and
cot 10 more The MltchcllS
gagged at least Is and possibly 80
n the air in addition to deStroyinc
l6 parked planes.
Nine MltcheIls and 10 Lightnlngs
were lost, but three bomber crews
and TWO fighter pilots were saved.
The entire shipping area was
scene Of utter wrcckaee and de-
'tructlOn,' Gen. MacArthur's head
quarters reported
TVentE-one Jap fighters and
bomber W5re shot down and six
other planes probably destroyed in
3aT-long fights near the Bougain-
vile bcachhcad.
Mean"hile, big forces of bcmbcrs
.ore up the already imperative
enemy fields Of Kahili and Kara
IN the by-passed area of Southern
BouoainVille with 189 tons of ex-
o.osivcs and the Buka bases Just
north Of BOugalnviIle with % tons.