SHARP BLOWS IN ISLANDS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 5

SHARP BLOWS IN ISLANDS

Hits On Enemy Capital Ships TENSE FIGHTING (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received Oct. 28, I 1.40 p.m.) October 27. Two Japanese destroyers have been sunk and at least three other warships, including a battleship and an aircraft-carrier, have been damaged in the continuing sea and air battle in the Solomon Islands: Japanese troops pierced the American lines guarding the airfield on Guadalcanal yesterday, but were thrown back, and the positions restored. These newest developments are announced in a United States Navy communique, which has been followed by a warning by the Secretary of the Navy, Colonel Knox, that the Japanese have a lot of strength in the Solomons, and it is a tough, stiff fight, with the outcome not yet clear.”

In addition to the sea and air fighting close to (Guadalcanal, Catalina fly-ing-boats have attacked a Japanese carrier force 400 miles to the north-east of Guadalcanal, hitting a carrier and a cruiser. 'Hie navy communique says: “On Sunday morning a Japanese destroyer sank the United States fleet tug Seminole and a small harbour patrol boat near Tulagi. Our shore batteries scored three hits on the destroyer, and Grumman Wildcat fighters from Guadalcanal strafed and further damaged the destroyer. “Six Zero fighters attacked an army Flying Fortress on a search mission. One Zero was shot down and the Fortress returned safely. Minesweepers v. Destroyers. “Two United States minesweepers engaged three Japanese destroyers near Guadalcanal. Navy and marine divebombers joined in the action and sank two of the destroyers. “During Sunday night and early yesterday morning Japanese troops succeeded in piercing our lines on the south sid of Guadalcanal airfield. Army troops attacked and threw them back and regained their positions. “Marine Corps troops on our western flank reported small gains after heavy fighting. “During yesterday morning our bombers and fighters from Guadalcanal again attacked the enemy cruisers and destroyers which had been twice attacked on Sunday north of Florida Island. They scored a direct hit on an enemy cruiser. (In Sunday's attack three, cruisers were hit, one being left on fire and dead in the water.) Jap Carrier Heavily Hit. “Navy Catalinas attacked an enemy force 400 miles north-east of Guadalcanal, and hit one carrier with a torpedo and one cruiser with two bombs.' One of the Catalinas was damaged by. heavy anti-aircraft fire. "Further reports of the air and naval battle which was fought yesterday east of Stewart Island (200 miles north-east of Guadalcanal) reveal that one Japanese cruiser was badly damaged, one Japanese carrier was badly damaged, and a second carrier was damaged, and one battleship was hit.” Monday’s action was fought between rival task forces. One United States carrier, was severely damaged and one destroyer was sunk. BELOW JAPANESE U.S. Naval Strength In South Pacific (By. Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received October 28, 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 28. The United States Navy’s latest losses in the iSolomons are serious, but they were not unexpected, according to Vice-Admiral Edwards, second in command of the United 'States Fleet. He added that though the navy was prepared to accept such losses, the American naval strength in the South . Pacific was considerably below that of the Japanese, whose navy was now the second largest in the world because of Britain’s heavy losses. Tokio radio has been making its usual large claims of losses inflicted on the American fleet in the (Solomon Islands. However, the Japanese admit heavy losses of their own, including the sinking of two cruisers, two destroyers, a submarine, and five transports, as well as damage to a number of other ships. The Japanese communique adds that more than 100 Japanese aircraft have been lost in the 'Solomons operations. The American claims now place this number at close on 400. Claims Fantastic. The Japanese claims of heavy sinkings of United States warships are described by the Australian Army Minister, Mr. Forde, as fantastic. These claims should be disregarded completely, he declared. For obvious reasons the Japanese would use every subterfuge to mislead the people in an attempt to provoke replies which would assist them to estimate the true strength of the naval forces which were opposed to them. The 'Secretary of the Navy, Colonel Knox, said in Washington that the American forces were putting up a game fight against the strong Japanese forces in the 'Solomons. He was not foreshadowing the results, and certainly not defeat. The naval battle in the 'Solomons area was one of manoeuvre rather than one in which fleets were lined up to each other. Colonel Knox described the Solomons as a war of attrition, and said that all the indications were that the Japanese had been goaded by the continual 'bombing into realization that their march of conquest had stalled, and they were throwing in everything in a frenzied drive to crack the Allied front in the Pacific. The situation was about the same as before. He discounted Japanese claims to have sunk four aircraft-carriers and a battleship as “just another Of their fishing expeditions.”