NEW ZEALAND PILOTS

Evening Star, Issue 24326, 15 October 1942, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND PILOTS

AWAITING PLANES IN SOLOMONS WILL OPERATE WITH AMERICANS WASHINGTON, October 13. New Zealand pilots are with the American forces in the Solomons, said Rear-Admiral John McCain, who has just returned from the islands. He made this statement at Colonel Knox’s Press conference. Apparently the New Zealanders' have not yet f been in action, since Rear-Admiral McCain stated that they were awaiting planes. He paid a tribute to the New Zealanders’ fighting qualities. Rear-Admiral McCain said his assertion that “ we can hold the Solomons and even expand our gains ” was based on his belief that the United States forces had shown sufficient superiority in material and men to justify that assertion. He said the Japanese had not used artillery at Guadalcanal while he was serving there. They succeeded on one occasion in getting four pieces of light artillery ashore, but the marines captured them the next morning. In one period from August 21 to September 17 the Japanese lost 133 planes over Guadalcanal Island to 25 American planes. Rear-Admiral McCain himself commanded air scouting and striking forces' other than carrier-based planes. His headquarters were on Esipiritu, Santo Island'. New Hebrides, 565 miles from Guadalcanal. He made two trips to Guadalcanal, and he said there was evidence that the Japanese were actually declining in aerial strength in the Solomons. He instanced the inferior types of planes now being used by the Japanese and -their slowness in replacing losses. Some of the biplanes and seaplanes used by the Japanese could never have been used unless the enemy had entirely no regard for human life or was running short of equipment. During a raid on September 13 several Japanese bombers and fighters were shot down.. Examination of these planes showed that they were absolutely new and just off the assembly lines." The lacquer covering looked as if it had been done only a few hours before, and the rubber gaskets, which deteriorate quickly in the tropics, were not at all worn or cracked. But (Rear-Admiral McCain added: “ These things might indicate that the enemy is getting short of planes, but I wmuld not count on it.” , Asked about the effectiveness of the American air attacks on Japanese bases in the North-western Solomons, he replied that he thought the enemy’s seaplane base at Rekata Bay, on Santa Isabel ffsland, was made untenable. The enemy base at Gizo was definitely untenable. Asked whether the Japanese had been able to land heavy reinforcements on Guadalcanal, particularly artillery units, he replied: “The Japanese had put in nothing heavy in there np to the time I left.”