SIGNS OF JAPANESE WEAKNESS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 10, 7 October 1943, Page 5

SIGNS OF JAPANESE WEAKNESS

Events In Solomons And

New Guinea

U.S. ADMIRALS CONFER

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn.— Copyright.) (Received October 6, 1 1 p.m.) NEW YORK, Oct. 5.

President Roosevelt, at a Press conference in Washington, said he detected signs of Japanese weakness in the entire Solomons and New Guinea, where the enemy was being defeated and was The President mentioned the great destruction of Japanese barges as proving their weakness in the zone, as these craft represented their only means of island-to-island transport. Great numbers of barges have been, destroyed in the past 30 days. A tabulation by the United Press of America gives the figure as 400 in three months. Plans for the Pacific campaign have been completed at a conference at Pearl Harbour of Admiral King, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleets, Admiral Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, and Admiral Halsey, Commander-in-Chief, South Pacific. It was the first meeting of the three admirals and the principal members of their staffs since the war began.

It is recalled that Admiral Halsey’s trip to Australia for a conference with General MacArthur preceded the New Georgia landings. The “New York Times” correspondent says it is logical to assume that the conference discussed a major threat against the Japanese bases in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands which are a constant threat to the supply line from Hawaii to Australia.

The Japanese are losing hundreds of men nightly in the waters of Kula Gulf in the Solomons in desperate attempts to evacuate blockaded Kolombangara Island in barges. More than 150 enemy barges have been sunk or damaged so far by Admiral Halsey’s destroyers, motor torpedo-boats and aircraft.

Barge after barge with troops was z blown to ipieces on a recent night when Allied des t ropers pounded on the enemy attempting to run the blockade. Some of the barges were 200 ft. long and others were rowboats. The following night the destroyers picked up a flotilla of about 20 barges, many of them small ones. They were busy sinking them when Japanese destroyers appeared on the scene, but when the enemy warships saw the waters of Kula Gulf aflame with the glare of burning barges and the sky alight with flares and star-shells they turned and fled.

■ Clash With,,Gunboats. Later American destroyers contacted a group of fast Japanese gunboats which had. apparently been sent to escort the barges. After sinking one gunboat, damaging another and putting the others to flight, our destroyers returned to the barges and finished hem off. Wreckage and black heads dotted the waters of Kula Gulf when our naval units broke off the action. In the two nights, 40 Japanese barges were destroyed or badly damaged. The naval actions were followed by heavy air attacks by Admiral Halsey's bombers on a barge depot at Hamberi Cove, on the north-west coast of Kolombangara. They started large fires and disrupted the enemy’s organization. Fighters on coastal patrol strafed and destroyed four barges, and two more were sunk by our naval units. The Japanese are reported to have abandoned" a good deal of equipment in their flight along the trails on the western side Kolombangara to the siland’s north coqst. Allied fighters intercepted a force of 50 enemy fighters off Vella Lavella Island, shooting down’six for the loss, of one of our planes, the pilot of which was saved. Enemy aircraft ineffectively bombed American positions on the island.