LANDING EAST OF MORESBY

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 283, 28 August 1942, Page 5

LANDING EAST OF MORESBY

Enemy In Papua HEAVY REPULSE IN SOLOMONS

Guadalcanal Held

A. United States naval communique, received from Washington yesterday, described the situation in the Solomon Islands as encouraging. The Japanese attack on Guadalcanal Island, it reported, was repulsed with very heavy losses. It was now known that in addition to the cruiser already reported to have been left burning, six Japanese ships had been left ablaze by United States planes. This brought the total of Japanese ships damaged to 14. Twelve Japanese planes were destroyed on Tuesday for the loss of one American plane. “The attempted counter-invasion by the Japanese of the Americanheld islands of the Solomons will be thwarted, in the opinion of observers in Australia, reviewing the progress of the battle,” stated the special Australian correspondent of the Press Association yesterday. _ The latest news of the battle suggests that the Allied forces have the. distinct upper hand. It is possible that major units of the enemy invasion fleet have already been forced to retire, leaving smaller vessels attempting to carry on. The Flying Fortresses as well as the carrier-based aircraft have dealt staggering blows at the strong Japanese striking force.”

It was disclosed last night that a new battle is raging in the southeastern corner of New Guinea, where a Japanese force has made a landing. A communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters said that the landing, which was made in Milne Bay (the deep indentation north of Samarai) was anticipated and resisted by Allied troops. Fighting was continuing. Allied planes battered the invading force both before and after the landing, and sank a transport, probably sank a cruiser, and damaged a destroyer. One Allied plane was lost. During the landing bombers blasted Japanese barges.