Evening star., 1944-01-26
|At Least 81 Planes
Destroyed ii Allied
Assault on RabauI ]
By the Associated Press,

ny Lne ASsoGlaLeu EISSB,
ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, New Guinea, Jan.
26.-More than $50 American
and New Zealand fighters and
bombers, making zone OF the
best -ordinAted raids since the
war began" shot down between
46 and 81 japanese planes and
destroyed eight more on the
ground Sunday to raise enemy
losses in defense sef Rabaul this
month above 500.
The praise was voiced by Marine
Maj. Gen. Ralph Mitchell, COM
mander OF air forces in the S6lo-
mons, after the raid was announced
today by headquarters.
Gen. Mitchell said this latest in
a series Of sustained assaults on the
New Britain stronghold from Solo,
mons bases was zone OF the most
effective ever completed in this
area"
First, more than 10 dive bombers
swept down on Lakunai, Rabaul's
principal fighter strip, and silenced
II antiaircraft positions with 1000
pound bombs. Then 18 torpedo
bombers followed In, after ground
defenses were paralyzed, to plant
2, 600 pound. bombs In the mid
section Of concrete runways and on
the coral extensions.
~ Fighters Attack Japs.
As the bombers turned away so
Japanese planes attacked, only to
be set on by 10 fighters piloted by
American and New Zealand flyers.
These shot down at least 50 and
probably 46 (some returning pilots
counted 49, enemy planes which
were added to the 8 planes de-
stroyed on the ground. Two bombers
and three fighters were lost but
one bomber crew and q fighter pilot
were saved.
That attack was made Sunday
morning. Sunday afternoon 80 AL
lied fighters returned, repeatedly
circled Rabaul, finally enticed more
than so enemy fighters to mix it
over Duke of York Island; "A, per-
haps IS, Of the defenders were
bagged. against no Allied losses.
So far this month the Allied
count OF Japanese aircraft lost at
Rabaul includes 242 certainly shot
down, 66 probably shot down and
more than 20 ground planes de-
stroyed. Allied losses slightly ex-
ceed so.
Marine Corps Col. William Brice,
commanding the Solomons- based
fighters, said air reconnaissance had
spotted only half a dozen enemy
fighters at Kavieng, New Ireland,
only 160 miles northwest of Rabaul.
Planes Drawn from Kavieng.
"The Rabaul attacks evidently
have sucked in planes from Kavieng
as we'll as from rear airdromes
which have been sending in a con-
stant stream of aerial reinforce
ments into New Britain"
Headquarters also reported a
heavy raid Monday by fighters and
Mitchell medium bombers in a So
mile troop and supply area of the
Admiralty Islands northwest Of Ra-
baul. The raiders bombs, cannon
fire and more than 100, 900 machine
gun bullets destroyed small
freighters, II barges, luggers, a
dock, jetty, 2 large and 19 small
buildings, 7 grounded planes, a gaso-
line dump, an ammunition dump, 2
sailboats and at lelast rs enemy
troops.
On the same day, Liberators es-
corted by fighters went back to
Wewak. where the Japanese lost
more than 30 fighters trying to ward
of an attack Sunday. But this
time the Japanese chose not to de-
fend the Northeastern New Guinea
air base; their fighters fed as the
bombers approached. and bombing
OF the Wewak and Boram airstrips
was carried out against only anti
aircraft opposition.
Rocket Gun Aids Landings.
Americas new secret weapon. the
rapid-flre rocket gun, was employed
in invasion landings at Arawe and