JAPANESE SHIPS DAMAGED

Southland Times, Issue 24881, 22 October 1942, Page 5

JAPANESE SHIPS DAMAGED

RAID BY BOMBERS FROM AUSTRALIA

(Special Australian Correspondent V N.Z.PA..)

(Rec. 11.15 p.m.) SYDNEY Oct. 21. Further damage to the Japanese Fleet in Northern Solomons waters and to enemy airfields at Buin is believed to have been caused in a raid by medium bombers of General Douglas MacArthur’s command early on Wednesday morning. The raid was on a smaller scale than the earlier attacks by Flying Fortresses. Reconnaissance has shown the enemy ships beached and still smoking from the big attacks on Sunday morning. . The factor of supply is engaging the increasing attention of news anlaysts reviewing the situation in the Solomons. “Ability to maintain the flow of naval and air reinforcements will decide the outcome of the battle and mastery of the South Pacific,” declares the American commentator Raymond Swing, who sees the opposing land forces on Guadalcanar as cast in a minor role in the struggle. It remains to be seen how much naval strength each side is able to bring into play. We can derive satisfaction from the statement that in daylight on Saturday our naval forces bombarded Japanese shore positions while enemy ships shelled our positions at night. This shows we have not lost the mastery of the seas around the islands as some had feared —otherwise we would be doing the night shelling and the enemy the day shelling.” NAVAL LOSSES Mr Swing points out that equality in naval losses to date should prove an eventual advantage. “But this is proving difficult,” he says, “presumably due to a lack of aircraft cover of a suitable type, a deficiency which must be somewhat paralysing Vice-Admiral Ghormley’s naval forces.” Most commentators concede that the number of troops on Guadalcanar are of secondary importance to the United States, who can replace losses more rapidly than the enemy. In a despatch from Pearl Harbour the News Chronicle (London) correspondent. Patrick Maitland, also emphasizes that the battle for Guadalcanar will depend on the ability of the United States Navy to get supplies through to the Marines and to the air force and navy. The commander of the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific says: “My boys will keep their toehold in the Solomons till Hell freezes if they get proper air and sea support.” JOURNALIST KILLED NEW YORK TIMES WRITER (Rec. 8.20 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 21. Byron Darnton, war correspondent of The New York Times, has been killed in New Guinea. This was announced from General Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters today. Mr Darnton, who served in France in the last war and received battle decorations, was killed last Sunday, but how he met his death has not been revealed. He had occupied many important positions in American journalism.