Evening star., 1942-10-28
Troops HurI Back
Foe at Airport
On GuudoIcunuI
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
American and Japanese war
ships boiled through the South
west Pacific in a titanic slugging
match for control of the bomb
Scared Guadalcanal airfeld to-
day while on the island itself
land forces were locked in mortal
combat.
Latest reports from the battle zone
showed action was continuing at a
| furious pace over a wide area and
both President Roosevelt and Secre-
tary of the Navy Knox said the re-
suits were not yet clear.
(The Toxic radio continued its
claims of victory over United
States forces in the Solomons,
tempered slightly by warning
from naval quarters" that the
final result cannot be foreseen)
Two Japanese destroyers have
been sunk, last nights Navy COM
munique reported; one enemy bat
tleship has been hit, cruiser badly
damaged and destroyer hurt.
In the epic land battle on the
north shore of Guadalcanal, Japa-
nese forces broke through the Amer
ican south flank Sunday night, but
were thrown back by Army troops,
who regained their temporarily lost
positions.
On the west flank, held by marines
against smashing series of attacks
that have been under way since Fri
day, the Navy reported the enemy
was forced to give ground in heavy
fighting"
Battle for Airfield.
At the Americans backs was the
priced airfield, built by the japanese
and captured by the marines in
August, from which United States
bombers have been able to hammer
at enemy shipping for miles around
In Japanese hands, the field could
be used as springboard for an
offensive against Australia.
Last nights communique told of
Navy and Marine Corps dive
bombers. apparently dispatched from
this same field. flying to the aid of
two United States minesweepers
which were attacked by three enemy
destroyers. Two Of the destroyers
wete sunk So,
Another enemy destroyer brought
a pack Of Grumman Wildcats from
the Guadalcsnal field roaring down
on it after it sank the United States
fleet tug Seminole and small har-
Dor patrol boat near the island Of
Tulagi,. about Is miles north Of
the field.
The Wildcats, appearing after
shore batteries had slammed three
shells into the destroyer, strafed
and, in the language of the COM
munique, further damaged" it.
Catalinas Renew Attack.
During Monday night Navy Con-
solidated Catalinas renewed an at
tack on an enemy force 400 miles
northeast of Guadalcanal. They
succeeded in putting a torpedo into
an enemy plane carrier and scor-
ing two hits on a cruiser before
heavy anti-aircraft fire, which dam
aged one of the attacking planes,
drove them Off Further reports
on the naval air battle which was
fought to the eastward of the Stew
art Islands on October rs" the COM
munique said, reveal that:
"(A) One enemy carrier was badly
damaged.
"CB) A second enemy carrier was
damaged.
"(C) One enemy cruiser was badly
damaged.
"D) One batteship was hit"
Both carriers had been reported
damaged previously.
President Roosevelt, refusing to
predict the outcome of the struggle
pointed to a headline in The Star
at his press conference yesterday
and indicated that it told the story
accurately. The headline was: De
cisive battle RACES in Solomons,
but the President added he did not
know whether he would have used
the adjective decisive"
Lac Base Attacked Again.
Continuing to harass enemy sup
ply bases and shipping on the fringe
of the battle zone, Allied warplanes
under Gen. Douglas Macarthur
command again attacked the Jap
anese base at Lac, New Guinea, yes
terday, destroying three barges and
silencing anti-aircraft positions
One Allied plane was missing.
Military men emphasized the ex.
treme importance of the land fight
ing on Guadalcanal Marines anc
Army men apparently were deter.
mined to hold the airfield there al
all costs. This flying field wa.
called the key to all the fighting.
Should 1t be lost, it was said, the
American cause might suffer an ir-
reparable blow for it had bearing
on both the land and sea fighting.
The Japanese apparently had
fairly secure control of the sealanes
in and around the Solomons, for the
enemy destroyer penetrated close
enough to Tulagi Harbor to sink the
Seminole and the harbor patrol
boat-the only American ship losses
announced in last nights communi-
que.