FIGHTING GETS TOUGHER

Southland Times, Issue 24889, 31 October 1942, Page 5

FIGHTING GETS TOUGHER

MARINES’ STAND AT GUADALCANAR NEW YORK, October 29. The Honolulu correspondent of The New York Times says that the Solomons fighting is getting tougher all the time according to four navy fighter pilots who are returning to the United States for more planes. They said: “We can hold the Japanese if they will keep sending in reinforcements to the marines who are plenty tough. We have the utmost confidence in them. They will hold on. The Army has not planes capable of the high altitude required, however. We need more, faster and better fighters.” A message from Pearl Harbour says everything depends on the Allies getting reinforcements to Guadalcanalquickly. ■ A United States Navy Department communique says: “On Tuesday morning our aircraft from Guadalcanal* attacked enemy shore installations and aircraft moored in Rekata Bay. Fires were started and four seaplanes were destroyed on the water. During the day aircraft from Guadalcanar bombed enemy gun positions westward of our airfield and an anti-aircraft battery and an ammunition dump were destroyed. During the late afternoon an enemy as-

sault on our positions succeeded in piercing our lines. Army and Marine Corps troops successfully counter-at-tacked and our original positions were regained. Two additional enemy thrusts were also repulsed. No report of any recent action on the sea or of the landing of enemy troop reinforcements has been received.” The Navy Department said that this news had been received only today. Richard Turner, the American Associated Press Washington, correspondent says a note of optimism is now distinctly noticeable in the United States Navy Department. “These men are in a position to know more of the facts than anyone else in Washington,” adds the correspondent.

The significance of the United States’ air raids on Hong Kong this week has been disclosed by the Chinese Official Spokesman in London who says Hong Kong is used by the Japanese as the principal naval base for Japanese operations south of the Equator.