| Show Airmen Complete Destruction of Japanese Convoy r Finish Off Two Damaged Destroyers Jap Plane Toll Rises to 82 As Allies Shoot Down Four More 1 ALLIED HEADQUARTERS Australia March 5 AIr JP-AIr- men o of the southwest Pacific command including American British Dutch and Australian fliers put the finishing touches ito to the destruction of a Japanese convoy of 22 22 ships by s sinking king two battered destroyers Thursday Thursday Thursday Thurs Thurs- day and raising to 82 the number nura- nura num 4 ber of enemy planes shot out of action an allied said Friday Thus In three days 12 transports transports transports trans trans- ports and 10 cruisers or destroyers were sunk l Japanese troops and several thousand seamen were killed 82 enemy planes were destroyed destroyed destroyed de de- de'- de' or badly damaged and the attempt to strengthen the enemy garrisons on New Guinea was converted converted converted con con- as an allied said into a major disaster A spokesman said Friday that further analysis of battle photographs photographs photographs photo photo- graphs would be required to determine determine determine de de- de- de termine the nature of the warships in the convoy Three of the 10 warships were at first believed to tobe tobe tobe be cruisers but later reports Indicated in indicated indicated In- In they might have been large destroyers j Pounded Con o Convoy All AU Day 1 Allied planes after pounding th the convoy all aU day Wednesday re returned returned returned re- re turned Thursday to Huon gulf s on which the Japanese base of Lee Lae is located and found that two Japanese Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- anese destroyers still were afloat although damaged These were sunk Intense and wid widespread e s pre a d searches by our reconnaissance aircraft early Thursday morning failed tailed to reveal any remaining trace of the enemy convoy in the entire area beyond floating wreckage wreckage wreckage wreck wreck- age and occasionally lifeboats and barges containing troops troop the said Two damaged destroyers which had listed during the night were atta attacked k d dt hit and sunk Four cn A emy amy fighter were encountered and shot loss to ourselves our our- selves A number of ot power barges loaded with troops from sunken transports w V were e ere r a sighted Big off New Guinea and were destroyed with all an on onboard board it was announced range Long-range fighters and attack units meanwhile swept at low v levels over Lae and airdromes Inthe in inthe the vicinity and poured rounds of cannon and machine machine- gun fire into installations and and planes on the field the que reported Six Japanese fighters on the ground were destroyed as they were refueling and 30 other enemy enemy enemy en en- emy planes managed to take oft off and challenge the allied raiders In the fight which followed 1 17 11 of the Japanese planes were shot out of action and eight of them are arc known definitely to have been shot down The others were damaged damaged damaged dam dam- aged and withdrew from the fight A spokesman emphasized that Americans Dutch Australians and British all took part in the victory of the Bismarck sea Iea While the reports on the plane- plane ship versus battle were sun still beIng being being be be- ing coordinated Thursday allied airmen attacked Japanese bases on New Guinea New Britain and island One bomber messaged back from a point about miles off olf Thursday Were about 00 men menith with ith battle equipment in water Only when aircraft left Sharks seen around life lite rafts and boats Another messa message e said Debris observed over mile 20 area No shipping other than destroyer ob ob- ob- ob served |
