POWERFUL BID BY JAPANESE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 19, 17 October 1942, Page 7

POWERFUL BID BY JAPANESE

Stern Fighting In Solomons HEAVY LOSSES ißy Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Received Oct. 16, 11.15 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 16. A heavy land, sea, and air battle which Washington yesterday announced began this week in the Guadalcanal zone in the Solomons is now in its fourth day. The United States Navy Department announced that after heavy shelling of Guadalcanal airfield and shore installations by a Japanese force, which is believed to have included battleships, on Tuesday night, followed by bombing, transports escorted by a battleship and other warships landed Japanese troops to the west of the airfield. American airmen, striving desperately but unsuccessfully to prevent the Japanese from landing the reinforcements, shot down 33 Japanese planes. Shore batteries and bombers hit seven Japanese ships, including a battleship and three transports. The transports were later seen to be beached and burning.

Other enemy forces, including heavy units, have been sighted near the island, it was announced. It was later reported that enemy surface forces, including two transports, are still moving in the waters round Savo Island, near north-western Guadalcanal. The Navy announced that an enemy warship in the northern Hebrides shelled the American base on Espiritu Santo Island (on which an American air base was recently reported to be operating).

The United States Navy spokesman said that stem fighting was continuing, but no complete view would be obtained till the action was finished. So far as the land fighting was concerned, all the information available was being released as quickly as possible. The Secretary of War, Mr. Stimson, told a Tress conference that United States Army ground and air forces which recently arrived on Guadalcanal to reinforce the marines had seized important positions in the Solomons and were holding on tenaciously against vigorous Japanese counter-attacks. . The army forces, both ground and air, are working for the defence of Guadalcanal under the command of the air force. The outcome of this biggest engagement of the Pacific war, which is so vitally important to New Zealand and Australia, is capable of completely changing the position in this theatre (writes the Press Association’s special Australian correspondent). The Expected Showdown. With the use of some of their most powerful naval units, combined with considerable air strength, the desperate Japanese efforts to regain their lost positions in the Solomons have so far cost them considerable losses—and it is plain that this is the major showdown which has been expected in the area for two months past. An earlier Chungking report stated that the Japanese fleet comprises four aircraft-carriers and seven battleships escorted by cruisers and destroyers. Some of the Japanese naval units are reported to ibe still off Guadalcanal, where the enemy has» beached the burning transports in efforts to land reinforcements. It has now been revealed that the latest American reinforcements on the island are equipped with heavy General Grant tanks. The aggregate of Japanese losses so far announced in the fighting in the Solomons is now 58 ships sunk or damaged, and 330 planes destroyed. It is believed here that this time Japan will make no strategic withdrawal, and her retirement from the present battle will only be forced by a decisive and complete defeat of her air and naval- strengths. Struck Overland. Where the Japanese ground troops have mainly landed—on the north coast of Guadalcanal—the terrain is hilly, heavily wooded, with 1000 ft. peaks close to the shore. It is a suitable place for landing and is believed to be inaccessible to the American forces protecting the Henderson airfield. These Japanese troops have apparently struck overland to engage the Americans in bitter fighting in their attempts to repossess the airfield. The American defenders are experienced in jungle warfare and have had many skirmishes with Japanese scouting parties. They must also possess distinct advantages in heavy weapons —artillery and tanks. It is possible, however, that the Japanese have numerical, superiority. They have been landing reinforcements intermittently since their original forces on Guadalcanal were driven back into the jungle when the American marines landed on August 7.

heavy units, have been sighted in the vicinity of Guadalcanal, indicating strongly that a decisive sea action is in the making. “Few conclusions could be drawn by observers from the navy’s partial reports, but two possibilities are notable at present in the reports. First, the power of the Japanese indicates that the main battle fleet is backing this excursion against Guadalcanal. “The other was that the renewed ability of the Japanese to bomb Guadalcanal might make the field unusable and thereby ground the bombers based there as the principal defence against invasion ships. “No indication has been given of the battle's probable outcome.. The navy spokesmen have repeatedly expressed the opinion that Guadalcanal could be held, but tin's prediction has been qualified by the ‘if’ that it depended on how much the Japanese were willing to spend in the effort. Lacking further reports, the indications at present are that the Japanese are prepared to pay a very large price If necessary. “This leaves the issue one to be determined by the amount of force that could be rushed to the aid of the defenders.”