Late News

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 14, 12 October 1942, Page 6

Late News

READY FOR ENEMY ATTACK Marines On Guadalcanal FIVE BOMBS A MINUTE

ON RABAUL (By Telegraph. — Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received October 12, 1.45 a.m.) NEW YORK, October 11.

The latest Japanese landings on Guadalcanal accomplished with strong naval support, are clearly part of extensive preparations for a major attempt to smash the spearhead of the American offensive in the Solomons, says the Washington correspondent of the Associated Press of America. Japanese troops landed in the north-west-ern shore of Guadalcanal from where they are expected to strike in force across the mountainous wilds against the marines’ defence positions round the aerodrome on the relatively level northern coast. Authoritative quarters in Washington declared that American counterpreparations are being made to hold the aerodrome, regardless of the fury of the enemy attack. The "New York Times” correspondent, Byron Darnton, writing from somewhere in New Guinea says: The raid on Rabaul was significant, because it demonstrated that the air force here Jias grown up not only in using more planes than ever before in the lOOOmile round trip across the 8000-foot mountains, tout also in the matter of organization. A raid of this size is conducted against the hazard of a night take-off with all sorts of chances getting . snarled up, but this one worked perfectly. According to the commander, Lieut.-Colonel Richard Carmichael, a factor in the good showing was the participation of experienced flyers, many of whom had been through the Philippics and Java. Fortresses roared in over Rabaul from every direction at the rate of one every two minutes, dropping five bombs a minute. They set four main fires, lighting the sky miles away. Tn the words of Major Elbert Butch Helton, who led one of the sections, “Everybody’s been dying to hit the town itself. It. is ideal for our purposes because there are crowded sections with flimsy houses.”