Evening star., 1942-09-16

tContinued From First Page }

VIOIlbAnucQ EIOIU TlTSt fdgeJ
commander in chief of the Pacific
Fleet declared the Japanese were
dangerous antagonists" but, he
added, they have learned by now
that we also are dangerous antag-
onists who are willing and know
how to fight
Despite counterattacks on Japa-
nese bases to the north and north
west of the main American strong
hold on Guadalcanal Island, the
Navy reported the enemy was bring
ing pressure to bear with appar-
entity increasing force and had sue
ceeded In landing small detachments
of troops who tried vainly to recap
ture the Japanese-bui airfield un-
der cover of shelling by surface
craft odshore.
Gen. Kenney Appointed.
While his bombers sought to dis
tract possible supporting moves by
attacking enemy shipping and sup
ply bases over a wide area from New
Britain to the Tanimbar Islands,
about 300 miles north of Darwin,
Gen. Douglas Macarthur, in Aus
tralia, announced the appointment
of Maj. Gen. George C. Kenney as
commander of Allied air forces in
the area.
Gen. Kenney, SO, a hard bitten
veteran of combat flying who began
as a private in the World War, dur
ing which he shot down two enemy
planes in France, and who rose
through the ranks to his two-star
generalship. succeeds 1t. Gen.
George H. Brett. Gen. Brett was in
the United States to undertake
another assignment.
Gen. Kenney, native of Var
mouth, Nova Scotia, was appointed
air commander August 4, but the
announcement was withheld until
yesterday.
He attended ground school at
Massachusetts, Institute of Tech
nology and the Graduate Flight
School at Mineola, N. Y. where he
was given commission as first
lieutenant. In the World War he
served as a reconnaissance pilot in
the French 9th Army, later trans
ferring to the United States Army.
Gen. Kenney now holds the rat
ing of command pilot and combat
observer and wears the Distin-
guished Service Cross and the Sill
yer Star for heroism. His home is
at Gardiner, Mass.
Gen. Royce Also Relieved.
Maj. Gen. Ralph Royce, COM
mander of the 29th Bombardment
Wing of the Army Air Force and
chief of staff to Gen. Brett, was
also relieved and given an assign
ment in the United States.
At the same time a change in
fleet organization was announced
here, apparently designed to give
air officers greater responsibility
for actual battle operations. Sec
retary of the Navy Knox appointed
Rear Admiral John H. Towers,
Chief of Naval Aeronautics, to the
newly-created air command for the
Pacific Fleet, with the rank of vice
admiral. Rear Admiral John S.
Mccain will become chief of the
Bureau of Aeronautics.
Admiral Towers, who is 81 and
who has been in naval aviation since
1910, will be principal air advisor
to Admiral Nimitz.
In its report on the development
Of what was becoming the second
battle of the Solomons, the Navy
listed the destruction of five enemy
bombers, ID fighters and three sea-
planes since the attacks on Guadal-
canal were stepped up. Total Japa-
nese plane losses since the Solomons
campaign began with the Marine
invasion August rose to 165.
In addition, an enemy warship
was damaged when Marine shore
batteries replied to it's shelling Sat-
urday night, making at least 20
Japanese ships sunk and damaged
In the campaign to date.
Intensity Increased.
A AAaS SiC Pooe ACW udyS GIle
japanese have increased the inten-
sity of their bombing attack by air
craft and the bombardment by sur
face vessels" the communioue re-
ported.
Army bombers carried the fight
into enemy territory when they
strafed shore installations on the
island of Gizo Friday and again on
Sunday when they attacked sea-
planes on the water at Rekata Bay,
about 140 miles north of Guadal-
canal on the northwest shore OF
Santa Isabel, destroying one plane
and damaging a second.
A communique from Gen. Mac
Arthur's headquarters reported a
direct bomb hit on an enemy ship
at Salnlaki during a sweeping at
tack from the Japanese base at
Rabaul, New Britain to the Tanim-
bars. Another ship was observed on
fire and japanese installations were