SUFFERED BY JAPANESE IN SOLOMONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 February 1943, Page 3

SUFFERED BY JAPANESE IN SOLOMONS

Invading Troops Cleared Out of Guadalcanal NOTABLE AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT F — ; ENEMY LOSSES IN MEN AND SHIPS LONDON, February 9., The Japanese in the Solomons have suffered their biggest land defeat since New Guinea. They have been cleared out of their island base on Guadalcanal. The Japanese Prime Minister, General Tojo, told the people today of this reverse and also of the Japanese defeat in Papua. The Japanese losses in the two campaigns, he said, came to over 16,000 men. Washington confirms that the enemy on Guadalcanal has stopped fighting, apart from one or two isolated groups cut off jn ravines amohg the mountains. The story which ends with this latest Japanese defeat began on August 6 last year, when American Marines made a surprise landing on Guadalcanal and on other islands in the south-east Solomons. From that time it has been a battle of supplies and reinforcements and the Americans, in a series of sea and air battles, have sunk or damaged more than 100 Japanese warships, as well as many transports and supply vessels. Guadalcanal is one of the largest islands in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. Its bitterly fought for Henderson airfield controls the naval base at Tulagi and from here enemy positions further north can be threatened.