The Japanese air force was no longer a force to be reckoned with by this time in 1944 when Allied pilots were able to fly bombing raids against little or no aerial opposition.
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The Australian Army News of this date 71 years ago reported that Liberator bombers had dropped more than 202 tonnes of bombs on targets in the Celebes in a single day.
Almost 2000 kilometres north-west of Darwin, the Celebes had been under constant attack for the previous eight days with a total of more than 1000 tonnes of bombs being dropped.
The Australian Army News reported "widespread destruction" had been the result.
"The aerodrome runways on Menado were cratered and left unserviceable, barrack areas were burnt to the ground, and waterfront installations were heavily damaged.
"There was no interception by enemy aircraft and the only opposition was anti-aircraft fire in Menado township.
"Air patrols raided shore installations at night, starting fires, and others sank a 2000 tonne freighter and forced a 4000 tonne vessel to be beached after a direct hit.
"Liberators in strength attacked the Halmahera aerodromes, supply dumps and defence installations, starting many fires.
"There was no interception."
Timor came in for its share of attention.
"Operations included the bombing of Dilli township and enemy positions to the west.
"In the Kai islands our fighters, in coastal sweeps, attacked small craft."
The war on the ground was also going well.
"In New Guinea Allied ground forces conducting mopping up operations report an additional 504 killed, 116 prisoners of war and 25 friendly nationals recovered from the enemy.
"At Wewak our medium units continued attacks on occupied areas. Operations in New Ireland included the shelling by light naval units of enemy shore positions."
Running in conjunction with these events was a summit meeting between Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt in Quebec.
""According to an unofficial report the talks are primarily to discuss planning for a direct attack on the mainland of Japan and the reconquest of the Netherlands East Indies and Malaya," the paper reported.
"It has been reported America will be allotted the task of attacking Japan while British and other Allied troops will liberate enemy occupied territory."
