AMERICANS FACE DIFFICULTIES

Southland Times, Issue 24882, 23 October 1942, Page 5

AMERICANS FACE DIFFICULTIES

Solomons Strength

(Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.)

(Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 22. The difficulties confronting American naval strategists in the Solomons are emphasized by Rear-Admiral .Yates Stirling, jun., a former Chief-of-btatt of the United States Fleet, who says that Japan enjoys the great advantage of being able to bring any number ot warships into action in the comparatively small area of these islands without jeopardizing operations elsewhere. United States warships in the Solomons must operate cautiously to avoid exposure against the far superior Japanese fleet and yet remain in close enough support of the land defenders to prevent enemy naval bombordment of Henderson airfield and cripple as many Japanese ships as possible before the main surface action begins. Rear-Admiral Stirling warns that the Japanese strategy may be to use the Solomons as a feint to draw away American warships from Hawaii and throw in a huge invasion force against Midway, ultimately using Midway as a base for the attempted capture of Hawaii. He adds that is too early to forecast the results of the battle for Guadalcanar. The relative air strengths are still undetermined and there are too many other unknown quantities. JAPANESE ADVANTAGE

The naval situation in the Solomons was also discussed today by The Sydney Morning Herald military correspondent. “Although the naval balance in the Pacific as a whole has now definitely moved in Allied favour, ’ he says, “this does not necessarily mean that the Allies can bring into play in such local areas as the Solomons striking power superior to that of the Japanese. The Americans have to be prepared for possible Japanese diversionary blows elsewhere, whereas the Japanese, in addition to having the degree of strategical freedom which goes with internal lines of communication, also have the advantage of the nearby pivotal base of Truk. While Hawaii is 3000 miles from the Solomons Truk is only 1000 miles distant and the trickiness of the Micronesian waters in many ways acts as a protective screen for Japanese activities.” Emphasizing that everything in the Solomons depends in the last resource upon keeping open the sea routes, this correspondent says it is inconceivable that America should not have made powerful naval preparations for the defence of the area. He expresses the opinion that many American estimates of the United States strength in the Solomons have been grossly inadequate. He points out that it has been no secret that Japan has been moving heavy naval units south for some time. POWERFUL ENEMY FLEET It is reported that a powerful Japanese naval and transport, fleet is still marshalled in the protected waters around Buin and Faisi. The concentration has been attacked four times during the past week by Australiabased aircraft, as well as by bombers from Guadalcanar, from where American aircraft now appear to be operating on a considerable scale. MISSIONARIES ESCAPE Hunted On Guadalcanar (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 22. After being hunted by the Japanese for eight weeks in the Guadalcanar jungle 14 Roman Catholic missionaries, seven priests and seven nuns, have been rescued and evacuated from the Solomons. They include two Australians and a New Zealander, Father D. Scanlon, of Miramar, Wellington. The missionaries are all members of the Marist Order, the leader being the Bishop of the South Solomons, Dr J. M- Aubin.

The spokesman for the party told The Sydney Morning Herald war correspondent that until the United States occupation of the islands the Japanese treated the missionaries in a friendly way. But fearing atrocities the party took to the jungle on the eighth day of the American attack. Christian natives gave the missionaries every assistance and refused to lead the Japanese to them. One native who misdirected enemy soldiers was shot. Two of the sisters gave first aid to a Japanese airman who had crashed and the day after the airman's departure Japanese troops came to find them, but failed.