NOW RAGING IN SOLOMONS AREA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 October 1942, Page 3

NOW RAGING IN SOLOMONS AREA

Big Naval Units Brought Up by Japanese BATTLESHIP AMD TRANSPORTS DAMAGED BY AMERICAN BOMBERS UNITED STATES REINFORCEMENTS LANDED IN GUADALCANAR LONDON, October 15. A heavy battle is now raging’ off Guadalcanar Island, in the Solomons Group. The Japanese have brought up big naval units and one of their battleships has already been damaged. Eairly this morning a communique from the United States Navy Department stated that Japanese transports were sighted off the island of Savo, north of Guadalcanar. The convoy was covered by destroyers, cruisers and a battleship. A strong group of American bombers went out to attack. Three direct hits were made on one of the enemy transports and two others were left burning. The Japanese battleship was damaged. A United States Navy Department spokesman stated that only scrappy details could be given at present, as the battle was still in progres. Three days ago American planes attacked Japanese ships off New Jersey Island and since that time American planes had been almost continually bombing the Japanese forces in the area. Since October 12, 33 Japanese planes had been brought down. Earlier this evening, the United States Secretary of War, Mr said that American Army forces were now on Guadalcanar Island. Both the ground and air forces were working for the defence of the island under the command of the Navy. In the New Guinea area, Mr Stimson said, American Army planes had been giving splendid support to the Australians, taking a heavy toll of enemy aircraft and shipping. In the North Pacific, American Army forces had taken an airfield on an island in the Aleutian group, and American planes were ■now attacking from it. American troops at the head of the Persian Gulf were speeding up the delivery of supplies to the Russian Army in the Caucasus.