CAUTION ADVISED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20919, 20 October 1942, Page 3

CAUTION ADVISED

U.S. AIR VICTORIES GRIP ON GUADALCANAR HINGES ON SEA ACTION (11 a.m.) NEW y£>RK. Oct. 19. The general impression among wellinformed military observers is that the Solomons picture is not pretty, says the Herald-Tribune correspondent in Washington. , ... ' The Navy Department spokesman, commenting on .the communique, advised caution against drawing unduly optimistic conclusions from the reported American air victories, pointing out that all the details cannot be published because they would be valuable to the enemy. • From this remark the observers inferred that the communique doubtless is unbalanced. The ultimate test of victory is .possession of the aerodrome. Thus, even though they lost many planes, if the Japanese recapture the aerodrome they will be able to jeopardise American sea communications with Australia. The United Press cites the opinion of military and naval experts to the effect that the outcome of the land fighting on Guadalcanar hinges on thf impending naval struggle to determine which side gains the supremacy needed to carry reinforcements to the ground forces. The observers are of the opinios that American naval strategy includes a combination of American tactics in the Coral Sea and Midway battles and the Japanese tactics in the Java Sea With the enemy surface units concentrated in narrow waters in the Solomons archipelago, the strategy would involve continued assaults against the Japanese fleet by torpedc planes and dive bombers, after which. American surface vessels, waiting at the mouths of the narrow straits, would pounce on the retiring enemy ships as the Japanese attacked the Allied units after the main action in the Java Sea.