FLAT DENIAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 November 1942, Page 3

FLAT DENIAL

OF DISUNITY IN PACIFIC COMMAND STATEMENT BY AMERICAN ADMIRAL. COMPLETE CO-OPERATION EVERYWHERE. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) NEW YORK, November 21. During a Press conference Colonel Knox, the Secretary for the Navy, turned to Admiral Young and asked him to reply to the recent criticism about unity of command in the Solomons. Admiral Young said he had just returned from a tour of 23,000 miles in the Pacific theatre and found “from General MacArthur down, absolutely no vestige of disunity. I saw as complete co-operation and joint efficiency as could exist anywhere.” Breaking in, Colonel Knox gave as an example of real co-operation that somewhere in the Pacific a huge airfield, capable of handling large bombers, was built in one week. Admiral Young added that the situation was similar in Auckland, where a hospital for several hundreds of pati 7 ents was built in 29 days. The “Daily News,” in an editorial, said /‘Though the South-West Pacific is still divided between the army and the navy, evidently the MacArthurHalsey team is able to overcome the fundamental divided command handicap. Everyone knows what Admiral Halsey has done, but what about General MacArthur since he was sidetracked to Australia with slender equipment? The answer is that the old fox of Bataan has not been idle. The story of his achievements is a great story, which should not be-blanketed by more spectacular news from the Solomons and Africa. If we get Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea will be ours to restore with a flourish to the British Empire. All this General MacArthur accomplished with forces estimated not to exceed 40,000. His achievements are saluted by military observers as remarkable. If the leaders gave him ample men and equipment, instead of occasionally applauding his shoestring near-miracles, there is no telling what the old master might do toward shortening the war.”

SOLOMONS VICTORY HALSEY MADE FULL ADMIRAL. OTHER PROMOTIONS. WASHINGTON, November 21. President Roosevelt has promoted Vice-Adrniral Halsey to full admiral, Rear-Admiral Hewitt to vice-admiral, and Brigadier-Gen-eral James Doolittle to majorgeneral. A Navy Department communique says: “Though enemy patrols were active, army and marine corps forces advanced on the westward flank of our positions on Guadalcanal, westward of Point Cruz. Army Lockheed fighters shot down three Zeros in the Buin area. Patrol activity on Guadalcanal resulted in our ohtpost lines advancing. About 35 Japanese were killed and United States forces suffered a few casualties. Our aircraft carried out 11 attack missions against enemy installations on Guadalcanal. Ground forces engaged in minor activities on Guadalcanal. A recent dispatch from Admiral Halsey confirmed the damage which was reported inflicted on the enemy when a battleship or cruiser, three cruisers and a dcs-

troyer were sunk, and a battleship, cruiser, and destroyer damaged. This is in addition to the damage inflicted on the Japanese in the Solomons.” It is announced in Washington that another American destroyer is listed as lost in the Battle of Guadalcanal. She was damaged by an enemy torpedo and had to be sunk on the following day. The ship’s company was taken off and there was no loss of life. The American losses in the Solomons battle were thus two light cruisers and seven destroyers.