BIG ENEMY LANDING

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 245, 17 October 1942, Page 5

BIG ENEMY LANDING

U.S. POSITIONS BEING SHELLED JAPS. fiET EQDIPMENT ASHORE

P.A. Cable.

WASHINGTON Oct 16

The Japanese have landed large numbers of troops, with equipment, on Guadalcanar Island, in their offensive to regain control of 1Jhe Solomons. Heavy land fighting is in progress on the island, and American positions are being heavily shelled. A U.S. Navy Department eommunique giving this information has just been released. The Department has also given details of further actions in the Solomons area in the past two days. On Tuesday morning American planes damaged nine Japanese planes on the ground at Rekata Bay. During the following night light craft of the U.S. Navy obtained possible torpedo hits on an enemy cruiser. Guadalcanar has become the focal point of a major battle: which. may be crucial in the struggle between the United States and Japan," says the Washington correspondent of the New York Times. "This became clear to-day when the Navy announced that the Japanese had landed more reinforcements near the American air-field, despite heavy losses inflicted by the defenders. One rather ominous note in the Navy eommunique was the statemei# that other enemy forces, including heavy units, had beem sighted m the vicinity of Guadalcanar, indicating strongly that a decisive sea action was in the making. Few conclusions can be drawn by observers from the Navy's p ar ai reports, bait two possibilities are notable at present in the reports, the correspondent says. "First, the power of the Japanese drive mdicates that the main battle fleet is backing this excursion against Guadalcanar. The other possibility is that the renewed ability of the Japanese to bomb Guadalcanar might make the field unusable, and thereby ground the bombers based there as the principal defence against invasion ships.

JAPS. PREFARED TO PAY. "No indication has been given of the battle's probable outcome," the correspondent proceeds. "Navy spokesmen have repeatedly expressed the opinion that Guadalcanar can be held, but this prediction has been qualified by the 'if,' that it depends on how much the Japanese are prepared to pay. And it looks as if they are prepared to pay a very large price if necesary. This leaves the issue one to be determined by the amount of force that can be rushed to the aid of the defenders." A United States Navy spokesman said that stern fightirig was continuing, but no oomplete view could be obtained; until the action was finished. So far as land fighting was eoncerned, all the information available was being released as quickly as possible. It was announced shortly after midday yesterday that 27 Japanese bombers again attacked United States shore positions on Guadalcanar, but details are lacking. Enemy surface forces, including two transports, are still moving in waters around Savo Island.

Three enemy transports earlier reported damaged have been observed on the beach at Guadalcanar still burning. There is no news, however, of how the fighting by either land or sea is going. CLASH BETWEEN CAPITAL SHIPS? "Our position in the Solomons is still uncertain, as indeed it must remain until much farther extended," says Major Eliot, writing in the New York Herald-Tribune. "So long as the Japanese are close at hand and able to reinforce their advanced ibases almost at will, our hold on Guadalcanar and Tulagi must continue preearious. The Japanese will continue to try to push us from those islands so long as they are able tO' do so. "On the other hand our only purpose in being there must be as Admiral King announced at the outset, to use our new foothold as a base for further offensive operations. The Japanese simply caiinot afford to allow us to obtain better bases and foases closer to Japan itself for the operations of our submarines. The expulsion of the Japanese from the entire New Guinea area would expose their main advanced fleet base at Truk. It is therefore likely at present that Japanese operations in the Solomons represent a full-dress attack, intended to expel us from Guadalcanar and Tulagi regardless of cost. It is possible that the Solomons area may be about to see the first clash between U.S. and Japanese capital ships." The Navy Department announces an enemy air-raid on American positions on Guadalcanar on Thursday. An enemy warship shelled the American base at Espiritu Santo.