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This newspaper page contains 12 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Canberra Times
Location
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Date
May 19, 1943
Page
1
The article describes a catastrophic dam breach near Dortmund with extensive flooding and high casualties. Eyewitness accounts detail water surging through the dam’s gaps, officials warning of continuing inundation, and military reports on the scale of damage. The scene includes references to RAF actions, explosive breaching efforts, and the broader impact on surrounding towns and transportation corridors.
Fragmented account details the Australian hospital ship Centaur torpedoed northeast of Brisbane. Survivors recalled waves, a sinking deck, and a heroic effort by crew including Fireman William McIntosh to aid others as the vessel went down. One man, NASA, died of injuries. a burial at sea followed amid chaos and rescue attempts.
Survivors describe attacks by man-eating sharks after the Centaur sank near an Angeitian port. Rafts battled exposure and sunburn as rescue ships arrived with rifles. One raft drifted separate, another joined later with two men and a wounded soldier still alive after hours adrift.
Survivors of a disastrous raft voyage faced panicked delay as some were rescued while others remained trapped for 34 hours aboard lifeboats. Frank Devid of Balmain notes brave men stayed calm as ships and harbors fought through dangerous seas. Page Three reports further details.
English and Allied sources describe a heavy Japanese assault on the Wau airfield with 22 bombers and escorts, supported by fighter cover. Flames and bombardment damaged aircraft on the ground, with allied fighters engaging and anti air defenses responding in the region.
Report notes German ships evade capture as blockade runners, boasting long-range, fast vessels capable of non stop voyages around the world. It cites specific ships like Wald and Teplana, with reference to Allied interceptions and the strategic value of such fast craft, labeled a high priority for interception efforts.
A disaster describes the sinking of the Centaur off Aberdeen while en route from Edinburgh to New Quince. Forty crew members died in minutes as Japanese PaaS craft attacked, with survivors reporting a surfaced submarine and a rapid loss of life.
Mr. Percy Melly of Gram Crescent Griffith was among rescued by the forces in Canberra. Other named figures include Lieut B Liput of the Western Australia units, Slater R Maultain, Aistat M Mostyn, Slater D J Wis, Sister Am caw, Victoria South Australia, and Col P Masson. Capt G L Thomas Laut, A B Johnson, Laverich also listed.
Fragmentary report mentions diplomatic radio contact between Dublin and Berlin during a crisis. References a coalition general and an official named Soleum Beyou as First Secretary of a Japanese delegation. Details are unclear and dates are not specified.
British dispatches claim 100000 Germans were captured and 80000 wounded in North Africa with Allied forces advancing on Cairo lines. Casualty figures were not yet finalized. A Cairo communique noted RAF long range fighters attacked an unnamed schooner. German crew abandoned ship.
A late note reports U S reinforcements landing at Attu as operations against Japanese forces continue nearby. The message mentions American cargo ships in the Buin area and ongoing combat progress with allied units engaging in the theater.
Japanese forces said to have captured Maungdaw area with reported progress in operations around the Rakhine region. Dispatches indicate attempts to press inland as Allied forces maintain counteractions and evaluate prisoner handling claims amidst ongoing combat actions in December.
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