AIRFIELD IN USE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20918, 19 October 1942, Page 4

AIRFIELD IN USE

SOLOMONS BASE BIG ASSAULT FORECAST JAPANESE LAND FORCES (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (2 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Oct. 18. Great activity -by both sides in the Guadalcanal- Island area is reported in a Navy Department communique. .‘‘The Japanese are continuing to bomb our airfield and shore positions on Guadalcanal-, and it is believed that enemy troops arid equipment are being disposed lor a strong assault against the airfield,” -it states: ‘‘There have been no reports of enemy landings on Guadalcanar since Thursday, but heavy concentrations' of enemy ships are still reported to bo off Bum, in the Shortland Islands area. ’ "On Friday Flying Fortresses and Marine Corps aircraft repeatedly attacked enemy troops ‘and equipment assembled in force in the .north-west part of Guadalcanar. ‘•Early on Saturday morning 14 enemy bombers*- escorted by eight fighters, attacked our airfield and shore positions. Our fighters shot down all- the bombers and -two fighters. “In the afternoon another group of about 15 enemy bombers and a number of fighters carried out a second raid 6n our positions. One enemy bomber "was probably destroyed. One of our planes is missing. "Army bombers on Friday carried out . low-altitude attacks on two Japanese destroyers off Kiska. The attack lasted 45 minutes and resulted in five hits on one destroyer and four on the other. Heavy explosions arid fires resulted. When last seen, both ships were burning and the crews had abandoned them. We lost' one bomber.’’ Reconnaissance planes have disclosed that the Japanese are reinforcing the garrison on Kiska and are building new installations on the south side Of the island, says the Associated Press- correspondent. at Alaska headquarters. > The Japanese are probably transferring f troops to Kiska from other Aleutian Islands which were found to be unfit ;for bases.