NAVAL BATTLE DEVELOPS

Southland Times, Issue 24822, 14 August 1942, Page 5

NAVAL BATTLE DEVELOPS

SUPPORT FORCE FOR ALLIES (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. Midni.) SYDNEY, August 13. A great naval battle has again aeveloped in the Solomons, according to an Australian Broadcasting Commission report. It is believed the action is progressing satisfactorily for the Allies, despite determined Japanese efforts to drive off our fleet support. , . Meanwhile, United States Mannes are forcing their way inland on Tulagi, Florida and a third unnamed island, either Guadalcanar or Makambo. Australian and American aircraft ot the South-west Pacific Command continue to devastate enemy aerodromes and harass enemy shipping. It was revealed at General Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters today that reconnaissance in recent days had shown considerable enemy shipping concentrations in the Rabaul area. While their purpose was not definitely known, these concentrations were close enough to the Solomons to have been intended to reinforce the Japanese there, successful attacks announced in the latest communique were made by Flying Fortresses. TOKYO .UNCERTAIN With the Allied invasion force striking harder and still harder blows, Tokyo is hedging about the battle. An official broadcast promised details of the fighting within 24 hours. The German naval spokesman, Admiral Luetzow, speaking on the Berlin radio, belittled the importance of the Solomons fighting and described the Allied attack as merely an offensive action to protect American shipping lanes to Australia. Informed observers believe that while Allied ship and personnel losses may be high, the offensive is proceeding favourably. It is pointed out that security for Allied communications in the Pacific, and eventual security against attack for Australia and New Zealand, are worth a high cost. American opinion on the action continues to be widely quoted here. Major Fielding Eliot, military writer of The New York Herald Tribune, says that whether it succeeds or fails the Solomons operation will tend to check the Japanese freedom of action not only against Siberia, but also in China and on the frontier of India. The Japanese air force is not large enough to provide for full-scale operations in all these theatres.

“Pertinax,” the former French commentator, who is now in America, declares that August 15 was mentioned in many diplomatic dispatches as the date Japan is likely to select for a blow against Siberia. He says the offensive in the Solomons may have been timed to make General Tojo, the Japanese Prime Minister, think twice before shouldering the task. SMASHING AIR ATTACK ON RABAUL (Rec. 9.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 13. Allied heavy bombers left a 15,000ton Japanese ship in flames, another large vessel sinking and two medium ships listing and ablaze in their latest day attack on Rabaul harbour. This crippling blow was delivered on the seventh successive day of the concentrated air attacks on potential enemy reinforcement points for the Solomons. Allied bombers have sunk' or severely damaged five Japanese ships in the past two days. All our planes returned from the latest smashing raid on Rabaul harbour. They were intercepted by a flight of enemy fighters, one of which was shot down. Three to six others were hit and damaged. Shipping and installations at enemy island bases in the Banda Sea were attacked by our medium bombers. The results are not known. Other enemy shipping off the south coast of Timor was also attacked, but again the results are not known. KOKODA TAKEN FROM JAPANESE (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 9.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 13. “A number of the enemy liquidated; many perforated,” was the laconic message received by headquarters from the command of the Australian land forces which made a successful raid on Kokoda, in Papua, last Sunday. By guileful strategy the Japanese were dispossessed of Kokoda village. The commander organized three separate thrusts to draw out the Japanese. Then, when the enemy had been enticed out of Kokoda, an Australian force which had remained in hiding in the jungle re-entered the village without a shot being fired. However, confused fighting was known to be continuing on Monday night. The Japanese, after their initial mistake, are hitting back vigorously. A big force of Airacobra fighters, each carrying a medium bomb, closely supported the Kokoda operations, divebombing and strafing enemy positions and silencing machine-gun posts. A former Kokoda patrol officer now in the army assisted to pick out objectives for the planes and marked his own house Target No. 1. This was the first time in the South-west Pacific that,

fighters have been used as bombers and the results are stated to have been highly satisfactory. Each of the Australian patrol forces killed and wounded many of the enemy. Our own casualties were light. MR CURTIN DEFENDS MILITARY LEADERS MELBOURNE, August 12. As long as he remained head of the Government he would not permit military leaders to be made scapegoats for national deficiencies, declared the Prime Minister, Mr John Curtin, speaking at a function commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary' of the city of Melbourne. There must be no criticisms which would militate against the development of a spirit of mutual aid among the Allies. Solidarity among the Allies was essential to make the most of the common pool of resources. That solidarity would not be aided by the creation of confusions and misunderstandings. The Governments of Britain, the United States, Russia and China fully understood the position of Australia, just as Australia understood their position. “We do not hear Mr Churchill or Mr Roosevelt criticizing each other,” said Mr Curtin. “Nor do you hear me criticizing Mr Churchill or Mr Churchill criticizing me. In military operations I believe the best counsel resides in those who have professional training to give it. The Government accepts full political responsibility for the decisions of the High Command. After making its plans the High Command confers with the Government and then they act together.”

SOUTH AMERICANS FEAR JAPANESE ACTION

(Rec. 11.30 p.m.) RIO DE JANIERO, August 12. South American diplomats and nationals who have returned from Japan fear that their continent is next on Japan’s invasion time-table, if Eastern Australia falls. The Peruvians, Colombians and Ecuadorians are especially strong in this conviction, because their countries lie on the western coast of South America. The diplomats expect to relay their fears to Washington through their respective governments in the hope that the United States will dispatch greater aid to Australia.

The South Americans believe that Japan intends to seize eastern Australia, then to strike eastward for bases to New Zealand and to the South American coast. Chile’s long coastline is vulnerable and Peru has a large Japanese settlement. A foothold anywhere on the coast would then enable Japane to strike at the Panama Canal.

AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT MISSING

(Rec. 9.50 p.m.) MELBOURNE, Aug. 13 Vern Haughland, a staff correspondent of the Associated Press of America, was today listed as missing, five days after the plane in which he was a passenger disappeared in a storm between north-eastern Australia and New Guinea.

Mr Haughland left the United States in January with other war correspondents for this theatre.

PRINCE MICHAEL.— The Duke and Duchess of Kent have decided that their last-born child will be known as Prince Michael of Kent, not Prince George, as originally intended. (London),