JAPANESE ATTACK IN SOLOMONS

Southland Times, Issue 24886, 28 October 1942, Page 5

JAPANESE ATTACK IN SOLOMONS

AMERICANS HOLD POSITIONS ON GUADALCANAR (United Press Association —Telegraph Copyright) (Rec. 8.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, October 26. The Japanese launched a co-ordinated land, sea and air attack on Guadalcanal according to a Navy Department communique issued yesterday. The Army, Marines and aircraft opposed the attacks in a heavy action all day yesterday. An American carrier task force exchanged aerial thrusts with a strong enemy force north-east of Guadalcanal-. The American destroyer Porter was sunk and an aircraft-carrier was severely damaged. Other vessels received lesser damage. Two enemy carriers were damaged. In the early morning enemy troops made a determined attack on the southern flank of the American positions on Guadalcanal'. The Army and the Marines held their positions. In the middle of the morning a force of enemy cruisers and destroyers shelled Guadalcanar from the north. Early in the afternoon Douglas Dauntless dive-bombers from Guadalcanar attacked a force of enemy cruisers and destroyers north of Florida Island. A direct bomb hit damaged and stopped one enemy cruiser. Shortly afterwards 16 enemy dive-bombers attacked the airfield, but five were shot down. Nine more bombers attacked the airfield soon after, inflicting minor damage. Late in the afternoon dive-bombers from Guadalcanar again struck the force of enemy cruisers and destroyers north of Florida. One bomb hit was reported on an enemy cruiser. Army Flying Fortresses struck the same force 10 minutes later and scored two bomb hits on an enemy light cruiser, which was left burning and dead in the water. Enemy fighters were active over the American positions periodically all day. Grumman Wildcats are reported to have destroyed 17 of these planes. The Aircraft-carrier Wasp (which was completed in 1940) was sunk in the South Pacific on September 15 as the result of a submarine attack. The Wasp floated for five hours. The ship sank when there were no enemy forces in the Pacific. Therefore, the announcement of her loss was delayed as long as the possibility remained that the enemy was not aware of the sinking. The Wasp was operating with a task force covering the movement of reinforcements and supplies to Guadalcanar when at 2.50 p.m. three torpedoes struck near the magazines and gasoline tanks, resulting in many explosions and serious fires throughout the ship. Fifteen minutes later a heavy explosion rocked the Wasp. Others followed near the hangar decks. The fires could not be controlled and the ship was abandoned three hours after the attack. A United States destroyer torpedoed the Wasp at 8 p.m., when all hope was abandoned. Ninety per cent of the personnel was rescued.