Show ALLIES SMASH 1 9 JAP SHIPS IN RAID I Bombers Leave Trail of Fire In New Britain MELBOURNE Jan 6 UP jp- jp Heavy bombers of the allied air forces under General Douglas MacArthurs MacArthur's command have smashed again at massed enemy enemy enemy en en- emy s shipping in Rab Iab ul harbor leaving caving eight vessels afire or sinking and destroying a ninth with a direct hit by a a ton half-ton bomb it was officially announced announced announced an an- Wednesday Probably a tenth vessel was destroyed an allied headquarters reported on the heels of warnings that the Japanese were gathering a new w war r fleet Inthe Inthe in inthe I the southwest Pacific In all tons of shipping suffered under the newest blows of the bombers which have been making capital of ot New Britain island the objective of concentrated attacks ever since the Solomon islands campaign opened The direct hit was on a a. destroyer tender Alongside her was was a destroyer which might have been damaged The eig eight t other ships were merchant merchant merchant mer mer- chant vessels One bomb bomber r was reported lost on the fl six planes but i planes were were downed downed among a flight of about two dozen that tried to Intercept intercept intercept in in- the attack The also noted new bombings of Lae and in northeastern New Guinea G airdrome in southern New Britain and on Timor Timor Timor Ti Ti- mor island northwest of f Australia Airdromes at Lae and andon andon andon on Timor were the targets One air force unit also pounded the Japanese ground forces holding holding holding hold hold- ing th the spit of beach at Sana- Sana nanda point north bf f Buna as allied allie tank artillery and Infantry closed in the headquarters report said l Intensive iten ive Bombardment The air forces began intensive bombardment of the Japanese beach position ago dropping dropping dropping drop drop- ping pounds of the missiles missiles mis mis- siles sUes on the Japs in iii their first sortie William F F. Boni Associated Press correspondent in New Guinea reported The raid on was the sixth in 10 days on that base more than miles northwest of Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guad Guad- island and about miles northeast of Cape York peninsula northeast tip Up of ot Australia With its deep harbor also lies lies' handy to a first- first rank Japanese naval base in the mandated islands to the north The Japanese occupied January 24 1942 and they have been under steady aerial at attack attick ck ever Since A high Australian government official who declined to be iden iden- by name voiced Tuesday the warning that the Japanese were assembling transports and supply ships at various points in n the southwest Pacific aided b by bad w weather ather with a view to regain ing 8 the fo footholds tho ds th they y J have ie ve Most lost los lostin in the Solomons Solomon and and in in southeastern southeast southeast- em ern New Nevi nea Gu arid laid to to bolster their lin linC facing Australia from Timor eastward rd Jap ap Reconnaissance This was su supplemented by a a summary of Japanese air air- a activity including the active reconnaissance of central Queensland d Australia by planes apparently off rines The Australian press displayed prominently the opinion of government government government govern govern- ment leaders and others insisting that more equipment should go tc to this theater of war in the belief that a minimum of offensive now would gain maximum results against a reverse situation jf if the offensive were attempted later |