HEARTENING NEWS

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 243, 15 October 1942, Page 5

HEARTENING NEWS

U.S. NAVAL VICTORY DETAILS OF SOLOMONS ACTIONS JAP, LANDINGS PREVENTED.

P.A. Gable.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13.

Smashing blows against the Japanese fleet in the Solomons area were delivered by United States naval and air forces on Monday when one enemy heavy cruiser was sunk, a second cruiser badly damaged and put out of action, and four destroyers and one medium-sized transport sunk in a naval battle which resulted when renewed Japanese efforts were made to land troops on Guadaleanar Island. The sole United States ship lost, as previously reported, was a single destroyer. This new triumph, which is regarded as perhaps the most heartening news received from the South -west Pacific since the United States Marines. occupied the south-eastern Solomons, makes a, total of 48 Japanese ships sunk or damaged and at least 270 planes destroyed in the group in two months. The success was announced in a special Navy Department communique, the text of which is now available and reads as follows: — "On various occasions in recent weeks the Japanese have succeeded in increasing the number of their troops on Guadaleanar by night landings from cruisers, destroyers and small transports. Navy and Marine aircraft from Guadaleanar have persistently attacked the landing parties, but the air attacks did not halt the landings. Therefore a task group of United States cruisers and destroyers was ordered to intercept enemy ships attempting further landings. At midnight on October 12 the task group engaged a force of enemy cruisers, destroyers and transports west of Savo Island. After a 30 minutes' battle fought with guns and torpedoes the enemy was forced to abandon the landing attempt and withdrew. "Several United States ships received minor to moderate damage and one destroyer was sunk. Our forces sank a heavy cruiser of the Nati or Atago class, four destroyers and one 5000-ton transport. PLANES TAKE UP ATTACK. "On the morning of October 12 Navy and Marine torpedo planes and dive-bombers left Guadaleanar to locate and attack the retreating enemy ships. Overtaking two enemy cruisers south oi New Georgia a torpedo hit was obtained against one cruiser, and several bombs exploded nearby. A cruiser was left dead in the water and burning. "On the afternoon of October 12 an air group from Guadaleanar attacked an enemy cruiser and destroyer in the area south of New Georgia. A direct bomb hit severely damaged and stopped the cruiser. When last seen her crew were abandoning the ship, which is believed to have been damaged in previous engagements. A direct hit and several near misses set fire to an accompanying destroyer, which was left in a sinking condition. "Reports to date indicate that as a result of the night action and the air attacks on October 12 the enemy suffered the following minimum damage: — One heavy cruiser sunk. One cruiser baclly damaged and put out of action. Four destroyers sunk. One medium-sized transport sunk. "One destroyer was our only ship lost in these actions. [This battle was apparently that referred to by Paris radio in a cable publishecl yesterday.] A Chungking report quotes a Chinese military spokesman as saying that the Japanese fleet at sea in the Pacific comprises four aircraftearriers, seven battleships, and a number of cruisers. The fleet was reported to have been "recently observed moving south." It is also announced from Pearl Harbour that Admiral Nimitz, Com-mander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, visited Guadaleanar a fortnight ago, decorating 27 Navy and Marine heroes, including the_ Marine commander, Major-General Vandergrift.