HEAVIER BLOWS AND MORE SUCCESSES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 18, 16 October 1943, Page 5

HEAVIER BLOWS AND MORE SUCCESSES

Admiral Halsey’s Forecast

(Received October 15, 11 p.m.)

SYDNEY, October 15.

Heavier blows and more successes against the Japanese have been forecast by Admiral Halsey, Commander of the South Pacific forces, in reviewing the .Solomons campaign. He told war correspondents in the South 1 acific area that “the Japanese have now experience!! a foretaste of the bitter doses they must swallow in the days and months to come.”

Another phase of the Allied campaign for the. Solomons had been successfully completed by acquiring against only token resistance the islands ot Uolombangara and Vella Lavelhi, said Admiial I falser. The consolidation or these strategic positions in the central Solomons was attributable to two main factors--the magnificent combat ability ot the American, New Zealand and Fijian forces and the ever-increasing reluctance of the Japanese to stand aild fight along their outer defence lines.

The Japanese, nevertheless, suffered losses out of all proportion to the efforts they made to halt the Allied offensive. Japanese survivors of last week s »ila Gulf ibattle in the central Solomons swarmed into rescue boats faster than they could ‘be handled, a naval lieutenant told war correspondents on New Georgia Island. Torpedo-boats picked up several score of Japanese clinging to floating dobris. According to one correspondent, it was the largest group of Japanese naval personnel ever taken from the water as prisoners.