AERIAL THRUSTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 October 1942, Page 3

AERIAL THRUSTS

NUMBER OF HITS SCORED ON JAPANESE SHIPS AMERICAN DESTROYER SUNK. AIRCRAFT-CARRIER SEVERELY DAMAGED. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, October 26. A United States naval communique states that the Japanese have launched a co-ordinated land, sea and air attack at Guadalcanar island. The army, marines, and aircraft opposed the attacks, and there was heavy action all day yesterday. An American carrier task force today exchanged aerial thrusts with a strong enemy force north-east of Guadalcanar, the communique said. The American destroyer Porter was sunk ,and an aircraft-carrier severely damaged, and other vessels received lesser damage. Two enemy aircraftcarriers were damaged in this action. Details are not complete. In the early morning enemy troops determinedly attacked the southern flank of our positions on Guadalcanar. The army and marines held their positions. In mid-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 afterward 16 enemy divebombers attacked the airfield. Five were shot down. Nine more bombers attacked the airfield soon after, inflicting minor damage. Late in the afternoon dive-bombers from Guadalcanal’ _ 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 bombhits oil' an enemy light cruiser, which was left burning and deep in the water.

Enemy fighters were active over our positions periodically all day. Gruinan Wildcats are reported to have destroyed 17 of these planes, the communique concludes.